Outcasts: A Predator Story
by downflowing218-GF
Summary: Young Artemis Canmore is trying to start her short life over after many tragedies and complications in it. She has a lot more to handle now that she has to ally herself with an intergalactic hunting alien monster so they can both stay alive. But is the alien truly a monster and could something more come from this strange team up of hunters from different worlds? only time can tell.
1. prologue: Monster

Prologue: Monster

 _November 13._

How could this be happening to me?

Why should I die today?

I'm only 18 years old, I just started a new life for myself. Why is this happening when I was getting a hold on to my life after my parents died, my Uncle Brian being murdered and an unhappy existence with multiple relatives who were no better than strangers?

I"m not ready to die, but this alien monster thinks otherwise. It has me by the collar of my coat, holding me up with only its muscular right arm over its huge muscular form. It's so tall, I can't even touch the ground anymore. I'm so scared, but I refuse to scream. I'm a descendant of great Comanche warriors and military heroes. I'll go down fighting if I have to. I can't give in to fear. I'm ready for whatever this monster has in store for me.

After a minute of waiting for my death to come at its hands, it just stared up at me. I couldn't see the expressions of its face since it was covered with a metal mask, but it tilted its head to the right side as if wondering about something; maybe why I didn't scream. After a while, I began to get more irritated than scared and just wanted this nightmare to be over with.

"What are you waiting for you ugly motherfucker, just do it already!"

After I said that, it pulled me into its face. I was so close to its face, I was almost touching its metal mask and could see mechanics and tubes going through it. The alien raised its other arm up. Its other hand had wolverine like claws strapped to it, preparing to impale me.

Oh no, this is it.

Oh God no, no, no. . .


	2. Chapter One: Star-Crazy

Chapter One: Star-Crazy

 _8:00, a.m. November 10. Three days Earlier_

I'm going star-crazy. I've been trapped inside my cabin for weeks now due to the bitter cold. Winter just rolled in and when you live in Missouri, it gets very cold very fast. So far there's no snow, but the weather report on the T.V. predicted a huge snow storm in just a few days.

I have enough food and water to weather the storm out, I have a backup generator so that the heat and electricity won't go out just in case the power gets cut off during the storm. I have plenty of warm clothes and blankets to keep me warm; I even have a space heater and an electric blanket if the generator breaks. I have everything I need to get through the storm. The only thing I'm worried about is sheer boredom. I'm the only person in my small cabin. I'm in the middle of the woods with no neighbors within ten miles. Since I moved away from my grandparents house after high school and moved back into my late Uncle's cabin, I've been alone and busy with repairing, cleaning and decorating the place. My Uncle Brian built the place when I was 7 and we lived there until his death when I was 14. I've been gone for four years and the place needed some love and attention. My tasks to repairing the place have been completed and I'm sick of just watching T.V. and sharpening my hunting knives. I've decided to out today and see if I can hunt anything to pass the time before the storm hits. Since it's only archery season, I'm only taking my bow and arrows I made myself, my tomahawk and my hunting knives. I put on my warmest large black sweater. I decide to wear my gray button down coat that comes to my hips since it doesn't constrict me when I run. I slip into my boot cut Old Navy jeans and slide my feet into my black combo boots. I tie my hip length black hair back into a ponytail and pull my white stocking cap over my head. Lastly, I squirm my small hands into a pair of gray mittens. I go over to the hallway mirror to see how I look. I say to myself "Not bad for a plain Jane." As I looked at myself and saw how my small yet muscular physique looked more masculine than feminine, I wondered why I wasn't born a boy. The only things that read female was where it counts, my average sized breasts and my shortness of five foot four inches.

"Why was I born a girl when I act so much like a boy?"

I was not a traditional girl at all, I was a full on Tom boy. I was the kind of girl that preferred hunting and camouflage over malls and mini skirts. I was tough and feisty by nature. My uncle told me that I was a born hunter and a true warrior. I believe my Tom boyish traits come from being raised by my traditional and hardcore Comanche father. Then again, my mother wasn't exactly a girly girl either. She hated dresses as much as I did and never wore makeup. At least, that's what I remember as a child. Both my mother and father were killed in a car accident when I was only five years old. I almost died too if it hadn't been for my parents shielding me from most of the blow. I almost lost my arm but the doctors managed to save it. I had the large scar across my left shoulder to prove that. I'd rather have my parent back then my arm though. Not a day goes by that I don't miss them. Remembering their faces and their voices was getting harder and harder the older I get. I might get to the point where I'll forget them all together. After their deaths, I went to live with my Uncle Brian who was not only a skilled hunter, but also a Vietnam war veteran. He was about as manly as they came. This also added on to my tough girl personality. I miss him too. He was the only true family I had left in this world. Without him, I felt so alone. My Tom boyish qualities and my tough exterior made me stronger, however, it also made it almost impossible to connect with other people my age; especially other girls. I was always singled out as a child and would be called a boy. The boys were just as hard to connect with. They had it in their heads that I wasn't supposed to like the same stuff as them. They would call me names like "Fartemis" or draw dicks on my desk and write in sharpie marker "HERE'S FARTEMIS'S MISSING PENIS". The whole class loved that joke and would laugh their fucking stupid asses off. The boys would taunt me without mercy or just try to push me away whenever I tried to join into whatever they were doing. All I wanted were friends and they just wanted me to go away. I would get mad and hit them, I always won the fight but would get into trouble. After a while, I just kept to myself. My only friend was my uncle, but after he died and I had to live with my late mother's parents, I was utterly alone. I only managed to have one boyfriend in my life, but that was three years ago when I was a sophomore in high school. His name was Erik and he was a full on jock who was big and muscular who looked like he could kick your ass, but he wasn't at all reliable when it came to trust and loyalty. When I refused to sleep with him, he went out and hooked up with his ex-girlfriend the same night. I kicked his ass for doing that and I never spoke to him again. After that, no one wanted to date me. He called me a lesbian and spreaded that rumor to all his friends and every boy in the school. Even the girls called me a lesbian. Instead of trying to prove I was straight, I just accepted that lie. I hated all the boys from my school, but I still wanted a man to be with forever. I wanted to get married and have a baby; the one true girl quality I contained in my characteristic. Apparently, I wasn't going to get that. I was set up for failure in life to be an ugly bitch who everybody hated. This made me more angry and more standoffish than ever. Now I just wanted to be left alone now. I won't ever find a true man to love me for the hunter and warrior I am. I turned away from the mirror and walked out of the door to begin my hunt.

"Ready to begin yet another wonderful day of trying to stop myself from punching a wall."

I think my sense of humor is the only friend I have in this stupid world. At least I could laugh at myself and not feel hurt by it.


	3. Chapter Two: Unhappy Hunting

_Warning, content contains graphic image of blood and adult language. Viewer digressions is advised._

Chapter Two: Unhappy Hunting

 _10:00, a.m. November 10._

Stepping outside of the cabin, I brace myself for the cold air hitting my face.

"Damn, it's cold. It's really cold outside today."

I began to shiver as I began to walk away from the cabin.

"Why the Hell am I going out right now? I shouldn't go out with the weather getting worse. What's the matter with you Artemis?"

I keep telling this to myself, but something inside of me is screaming at me to go out, Normally when I have this feeling, I have really good hunts or good; big game to bring back home to eat and make into trophies. I'm going with that feeling in myself today so it might be happy hunting for me. I'm still going out. I jumped into my white 2000 Toyota pickup truck and set my gear in the passenger seat. This was the first car I ever owned. I never really cared for new and pretty cars. It's very reliable and gets me where I need to go; Very convenient for hunting. The original owner, a fifty year old man who was going blind, gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday; my only birthday present since living with my grandparents. The only thing my grandparents and anybody from my mother's side of the family ever gave me in my life was bullshit about how I shouldn't have been born and how my mom should of never met my father. They were a bunch of rich racist snobs who hated my father for being Native American and disowned my mother after she got pregnant with me at 17 and refused an abortion. They never showed up for my parents funeral or ever cared for my existence, They didn't know the first thing about honor, respect or love. To believe my wonderful loving mother who was always kind to everyone she met and so understanding to everyone ever came from such trash. Thanks to my sixteenth birthday present, I got away from my family. I drive for about five miles into the woods. Suddenly, I noticed some deer tracts that were still fresh and decided to get out of the truck to follow the tracts. Taking all of my hunting gear, I begin to follow the deer tracks.

I've always felt at home in the woods, I can let my true spirit come out when I'm wandering around the forests looking for new quarry. It brings me at least a small amount of peace in my chaotic life and connect me not only to my Comanche bloodline but also my given name.

My mother named me after the Greek goddess of the hunt when I was born. Both she and my father felt I had a hunter's heart and wanted to give me a name that represented that kind of heart. I don't think of myself as anything like a goddess or anything divine, but I connect to the spirit of Artemis with her individual way of thinking and the way she goes against traditional roles of women. For a few minutes into tracking the deer, there was nothing. Suddenly, I spot in the distance a deer lying on its left side. It was a female; pregnant, and it was bleeding to death.

She was shot twice with a gun, illegal during this season. Rifle hunting season passed by after October, why would someone be using a gun to hunt during archery season?

The hunter only managed to shoot her in the stomach and her front lower right leg, making it impossible for her to run. The hunter shot her down, but didn't finish the job of putting her out of her misery. What an abomination to the honor of hunting and life itself. Only trash people would hurt an innocent animal and leave it to die, not only did they injure a female deer but also harmed an unborn life not given the chance to live. My inside of my throat became thick with disgust and rage. It was getting harder to breathe. My nose began to get stuffed up and my eyes were getting misty to the point of not being able to see clearly. I was on the brink of utter fury over this outage against innocent life. This animal deserved better than to bleed to death and the unborn fawn deserved better than to die before it had the chance to feel grass and play as baby deer do. I couldn't stand it anymore. I began to sob uncontrollably over the deer,

Such a great injustice, such a great evil act was aimed toward an innocent creature. There's no honor in mortally wounding a pregnant animal and not finishing the kill properly. Her red blood pooled under her, the rich dark color stood out from the sick brown and tan colors of the woods. It was beautiful and yet sickening at the same time. Whoever did this needs to be brought to justice. Collecting myself finally, I stood on my knees over her body. I pull out my longest hunting knife to finish the job.

"I'm so sorry."

I said it so sadly to the deer, holding my blade over her heart.

"I promise it won't hurt."

closing my eyes as tight as I could, I plunged my blade into her chest, killing her instantaneously.

I tilted my head back and let out a high pitched scream that echoed throughout the forest.

"FUUUUUUUCK!"

I mourned over the body of the deer a little longer. After a minute I began my task of finding whoever did this to her. The hunter who shot her left footprints behind for me to follow and hunt down.

"YOU FUCKERS WILL PAY FOR THIS!"

As I started running after the hunters footprints, a strange noise stopped me in my tracts. It was like a strange clicking, purring noise. I stopped in my tracks to see where it was coming from.

"Hello? Who's there?"

There was no answer, just the purring noise. I couldn't trace the sound it was coming from, I didn't know if it was someone or something. I didn't really care for it. I have a mission to finish. Taking off into the woods, I began my hunt I've never imagined I would have today.


	4. Chapter Three: Plan

_Warning, this chapter contains content about attempted rape and adult language. Viewer discretion is advised._

Chapter Three: Plan

 _3:00, p.m. November 10._

I run for about ten or twelve minutes. At this point, my lungs were burning along with my legs and face. I was hot from both the running and the rage. Then suddenly, a question pops into my head, stopping me in my tracts.

"Just what exactly are you going to do Artemis Canmore, beat the crap out of the guy?"

I didn't know what to do. I just want this guy to pay for what happened to the deer and making me finish his job of killing her. I take long breaths to get my heart rate down so I could think straight.

"I just want this guy to pay, but I need a plan first."

I'm talking to myself again. I'm going batshit crazy. Everybody said I would and I'm starting to believe it now. I guess that happens when you live alone for too long. There was a fallen log two feet away from me. I go over to it and I sit down. Sitting on the log I began to think of a plan.

After a long time of thinking, I get an idea. I start talking to myself again.

"First, I find the location of whoever did this without being spotted, Then, get as much information as I can like what the guy looks and what he's wearing, find out his or her name, then lastly go back to the truck and drive into town and tell the sheriff."

"But what if you get caught? What then Miss Perfect Plan-maker?"

I hate fighting with myself, sometimes I can never win my own battles with my brain; especially when it had a valid point.

"I'm not the kind of girl who gets caught, I can fight and think my way out of anything."

I was raised by a Vietnam war sniper who was also the stealthiest hunter I've ever known. I learned everything from that man and carried his lesson with me. I won't disappoint my uncle, my father or my ancestors. I'll be careful and be alert the whole time. I haven't been caught then, I won't get caught now by a brainless dishonorable hunter.

"What could go wrong?"

I shouldn't say that. It's a stupid statement because this is a stupid plan. But I couldn't talk myself out of it. I could never be talked out of anything in my life; not even with myself. I finally get up from the log and continued toward the direction of the footprints. I heard that strange clicking noise again.

"What the Hell is that noise and where's it coming from?"

I asked myself that quietly as if the thing making the noise could hear me; as if I could answer myself. God, I need to stop talking to myself. I even hate the sound of my voice like everybody else who told me to shut the fuck up. After a few seconds, I no longer cared for the noise. I started to lightly jog. After following the footprints for about twenty minutes, I finally came across a campsite.

"God, this place smells rancid."

I plugged my nose and I used a hushed voice to talk, though now is the perfect time to shut my mouth or else I get caught. There wasn't just one person, there was over ten men all shouting and laughing like drunken morons. I quickly hide behind some bushes so they couldn't see me. I find a peak hole in the brush and look through it to see what I can find out. The whole campsite was a disgrace. Beer cans and trash was scattered everywhere you stepped, putrid smells was coming off of the men and there trash. Corpses and bones of dead animals were scattered all over the place. It was disgusting. The smell almost made me vomit in my mouth.. All the men in the campsite were full grown redneck hicks. Some were shaved bald, fat middle aged men with missing teeth, some were so skinny you could see every bone in their body, the rest were ugly fifty something old men with barely any teeth or hair left. All of the men had guns laying around, all illegal during archery season. I memorized as many faces as i could, I even got a license plate number off of a Black Toyota. I stayed put for a long time. After 7:00 p.m., it got dark fast due to it being winter. I decided to leave before it got too dark.

I quietly started walking away from the campsite to go back to my truck and get the sheriff.

"Well look what we have here."

My heart topped in my chest. I was caught. I was screaming in my head now.

"STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! BRILLIANT PLAN OH MIGHTY HUNTER! YOU SHOULD HAVE A TATTOO READING "RAPE TARGET HERE" YOU FUCKING MORON!"

I turned around to see this middle aged bald fat ass standing right next to me. He was grinning an evil, smug smile at me. He looked me over. I tried to keep myself calm and gave my best smile.

"I'm really sorry, I'm lost. Do you know where there's a town or something nearby?"

I felt sick to my stomach by the way he looked at me. I was trying to deter him, it wasn't working

"Ain't you just the prettiest thing I've ever seen. You know it's very dangerous in these woods at night."

He licked his lips.

"you should, you know, hang with us tonight. You'll have fun with us darling."

The nerve of this prick.

"No thanks."

I said with disgust.

"My father and uncle are waiting for me." I lied to make him back off.

He grabbed me by my right arm tightly.

"Hey guys, we got a real pretty girl here, we're gonna have some fun with her tonight."

He grabbed me tighter as I tried to pull away from this fuck head.

"Trust me baby, you'll be safe with us protecting you from bad folks around these parts."

He tried to touch my face with his filthy hands

"Let go you inbred bastard!"

I shout in his face, spitting him in his eye.

He tried to smack me, but I blocked his hand with my right arm.

I'm not scared anymore, now I'm as mad as Hell. I was fuming with rage. Any trace of fear was burned away with the fire of my fury. Everything inside me was burning with anger. I needed to take it all out on this guy.

"LET GO ASSHOLE!"

He tried to drag me back to the campsite, but he didn't know that I was a black belt in mixed martial arts. I studied since I was five.

I pushed his arm away and Karate kicked him in the gut and then right in his face, knocking him out.

Man, that felt good.

"YOU LITTLE BITCH! I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT!"

I ran with all my might. I could still hear the commotion behind me, but I was too adrenaline pumped to care.

For a minute or two, I felt I had lost them; guess again. I heard a car engine in the distance of where the bastards campsite was.

"WHERE'S THAT CUNT? SHE'S FUCKING DEAD!"

Some of the men got into a black Jeep and tract me down. They were coming in close, hooting and hollering like lunatics.

"I'M GETTING LAID TONIGHT BOYS!"

Oh no, this was really bad.

"I GET FIRST ON HER ASS!"

At this point, I realized my brilliant plan was as skewed as I was gonna be if they caught me.

"HEY! THERE SHE IS!"

They were gaining and I was getting tired.

"LOOK AT THAT BITCH RUN! IT'S MY LUCKY NIGHT!"

Now what?


	5. Chapter Four: Screams

_Warning, this chapter contains adult language, violence and blood. Viewer discretion is advised._

Chapter Four: Screams

 _9:00, p.m. November 10._

It was pitch black now. The cold air was stinging my face as I ran through the woods to escape these psychopaths. Because it was so dark, I could.t find where my truck was anymore. I lost my way and had no idea where to go.

"Wonderful plan Artemis. First get the attention of dozens of rapist, then run into the forest where you get lost and they can get you. What now genius?"

In mid run, I tripped over a rock and fell face first into the ground.

"Ow, shit that hurt.'

The wind was knocked right out of me and my face hurts. I had blood trickling down my nose Luckily, it was a small amount.

"Smooth move Artemis."

My inner voice kept telling me that.

"You just got yourself killed over a fucking deer. Your Uncle and parents would be ashamed of you doing something so stupid."

I was stupid.

"I'm sorry Mom, Dad, Uncle B."

Not only did I get myself killed, but I made myself alone. Nobody would miss me or even notice I was gone.

"Fuck me, I'm so stupid."

I pushed people away and refused to let anybody in. I made more enemies than friends in my life. Wait, I never had any friends.

"Damn it."

I dug my own grave at this point. So much regret came over me. I didn't want to die. I want to live, I want to be with somebody I love again. I don't want to be alone anymore.

"Gotcha girly."

Somebody grabbed me by the hair and pulled me up to my feet painfully.

"Don't struggle and you'll only be sore for a while."

I turned my body toward the prick and took out one of my hunting knives hidden in my back shirt, digging it into his upper right arm.

"THAT WILL BE FUCKING SORE FOR A WHILE, PRICK!"

This caused the guy to let go of me.

YOU FUCKING WHORE!"

As he dropped me, my blade came loose from his arm, spilling so much of his blood from his arm in the process. It drenched his white t-shirt in red.

"KILL HER NOW!"

He squirmed on the ground like a worm cursing at me and threatening to kill me.

Two more men came out of the jeep with their guns. They started to shoot at me. One bullet managed to graze my arm, but I shook off the pain and continued to run. I ran so fast, everything around me swished by my face like a blur. My lungs felt as if they would explode in my chest. Everything inside me was burning from running so much and from the fear of getting caught. I'm not dying tonight or any other night. I'll fight to my last breath to stay alive and live a full life I've been denied for so long. I managed to lose them and I could hear their frustration from a long way off.

"WHERE DID THAT SLUT GO?"

"I DON'T KNOW ASSHOLE!"

"SHE'S HERE SOMEWHERE! FIND HER!"

After I don't know how long, I needed to stop and take a breath before I passed out from exhaustion.

"Great, now what/"

I found a hidden opening under a tree. It was covered by leaves and vines and was very low, making it almost impossible to see.

"Perfect."

I couldn't run anymore, I had to hide. Crawling into the hole, I began to calm myself. I had to be quiet. I covered my mouth shut and tried my hardest to bring my heart rate down in order stay quiet. I heard someone talking from a short distance.

"Check over here, she couldn't have gone far."

I heard footsteps coming my way. The footsteps only came from one person and they were coming from the opposite direction of the other men. He stood a few feet away from me, not looking in my direction. I couldn't see him fully in the dark, but he was huge by the shape of his black silhouette. Then he took off running at an almost inhumanly fast pace. After a few moment of sheer dread, I heard screaming from far away. It was the types of screams you hear if someones being murdered; high curdling and heart stopping. Then I heard guns firing. Something bad was happening to the men who were chasing me. Something was attacking them, but what? If it's attacking them, will it come after me? I started to cry but I held my hand harder over my mouth to keep the whimpers I was making in. This is an absolute nightmare and I couldn't wake up from this..There was nothing but gun fire and screams of terror filling the night air. It was too much to bear. Then, nothing. The gun fire, the screaming, they stopped. Everything was eerily quiet. I dared not to move a muscle. I was frozen by the fear and the cold night air to move. All traces of rage and fury left my body. All that was left was the paralyzing fear in my limbs and my heart. I Started to talk to myself in my head in order to be unnoticed.

"What am I going to do now?"

The tears from my eyes started to drip from my face.

"I can't take on whatever's causing those horrible screams of men. I never even heard any man scream before this night. I never want to hear it ever again."

All of a sudden, a giant foot came into view. It was like nothing I've ever seen. Even though it was dark, I could see the details of this monsters foot. It had a metal boot on with clawed toes. The leg the foot was connected to was bigger than both my legs combined and was incredibly tall. It was like looking at a gladiators leg, almost bare and overly muscular. It was like this thing was on steroids times two. Another leg came into view along with a clawed; yes, a clawed hand with two wolverine like blades sticking down form a metal wrist cuff. The blades dripped fresh blood off the tips. I wanted to scream, but all I could do was silently lay on my stomach and move my lips silently to say something without getting caught..

"Oh my God"

My heart stopped.

"I'm gonna die."

I still remained silent as I mouthed the words. Then that weird purring, clicking noise came from the. . . I don't know where the hell this thing is. It was the same sound I kept hearing earlier. This creature was the source of the noise from before? I should have been paying attention to the noise. I never should have done this, I signed my own death certificate with my stupidity and disregard. The creature then roared. It was like a bear, a lion and a T-Rex were roaring at once. I couldn't help but piss all over myself. I've never been so scared that I peed all over my pants, not even as a small child. I was truly terrified of this monster. I shook in fear, but remained silent. It finally took off running away from where I was hiding and was gone. This was going to be a very long night. I took a breath of relief but refused to move. I was cold and tired. After a few hours of trying to stay awake, I finally gave into exhaustion and slipped into a dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter Five: Skinned

_Warning, chapter contains graphic image of adult language blood and gore. Viewer discretion is advised._

Chapter Five: Skinned

 _5:47, a.m. November 11_

That was the worst night of my entire life. I still used a hushed voice to talk in order to stay unnoticed.

"Uhg, my head hurts."

I slept on the cold hard ground and my head was pounding from hitting it while running from those monsters. Wait, they weren't the real monsters, that thing in the night; that was the monster. It was just a just few feet away from me the other night and it never found me. I was still scared shitless over the whole experience.

"That was the worst night of my life. I would never wish my night on my worst enemy."

Then I remembered and my stomach felt like it turned to stone

"Wait, It did happen to them already."

What happened to those hunters anyway?

"What time is it anyway?"

I checked my watch and I couldn't believe the time. I slept through the whole night, but nothing was pleasant.

"I gotta get out of here."

I was cold, I was hungry, and I was scared out of my mind.

"God, it's still dark."

There was barely any light outside since its winter. It's below freezing at 5:47 in the morning and I was shivering like a leaf. Waking up from a night of of terror and dread, I could finally see were I was clearly.

"Please don't be out there."

I wasn't talking to the monster, I was just praying it wasn't out there. I couldn't stay in this hole forever, I had to get out and get help. Plus, I needed to piss like crazy. I crawled out of my hiding place from under the tree slowly and as quietly as I could.

I had to get out of these woods and back to my truck.

God, I need to piss."

After relieving myself, I looked around to see where I needed to go to find my truck. I knew if I went East for about 10 minutes give or take, I'll make it to my truck and find help in town.

"Here go nothing."

I started in my direction.

"What the hell are those?"

Suddenly, I noticed footsteps; inhuman footsteps Bigfoot would be jealous of. They were bigger than grizzly bears feet and were shaped almost human like except for the claws on the toes.

I remembered the monster leg and foot from last night that made the tracts and was paralyzed with fear. The creature that made the prints could be anywhere in the woods. It could be watching me right now. I didn't know what to do. One thing's for sure, I'm not staying here to be its next victim. I started running to the direction of my truck. I didn't even make it ten feet away from my hiding spot when I ran into something hanging in the trees. It was wet and dripping red.

As I looked up to see what the hell I just ran into, I realized exactly what it was. Staring at me with dead eyes and a frozen face of fear was the skinless face of one of the men from the campsite.

"HOLY FUCK!"

I backed away from the body in horror so quick I tripped and fell on my back.

OH MY GOD! NO!"

I could see clearly now that not only was hi face was skinned, but his whole body was stripped of all the skin like a lamb for the slaughter. Everything on the inside of this man's body was exposed on the outside and glimmering in the morning sun. All the blood was drained from his body and pooled onto the ground reminding me of the deer from yesterday.

"This isn't happening."

I covered my mouth to hold back my screams. I didn't want to draw attention for the thing that did this to find me and skin me too.. If this happened to this guy, I didn't want to know what happened to the other guys from last night.

"Oh God, help me."

This was too much for me to bear. I couldn't help but lose whatever was left in my hungry stomach onto the cold ground. I hunched over in nausea on my knee and elbows and felt weak from not only the hunger, but also the act of vomiting everything I had.

"Why did this happen?"

I've never seen anything so disgusting in my entire life, and I skinned and gutted animals myself. This was different from a skinned animal. This was a human being. I detested and despised this man and his friends, but this was still a horrible way to end a person's life; even for trash like this man.

"Why are you just laying there, move your ass now or you'll end up like them."

My inner voice was right and I was finally listening to it. After gaining enough strength to stand up, I picked myself off the ground and ran like a crazy person away from the gore I just witnessed. Why did I have to be the one to see all of this madness? I'm only 18.

"You're never too young to see evil."

This was absolute chaos you would read in comics or watch in movies. This isn't something that should happen in real life to somebody like me.

"If this is like a comic or movie, I'd rather be the hero who had the sense to stay alive."

I ran for what seemed forever until my truck came into view.

"Oh, you are absolutely beautiful right now you big rust bucket!"

I was so relieved to see my beautiful truck was still there, my beautiful; wonderful truck. It was heaven seeing my truck in all of this Hell going on around me. It was the one good thing in my life of misery to have a way out of these woods of death. Running happily to my truck, I unlocked the drivers door and got in as fast as I could.

"Let's get out of here."

Throwing my weapons onto the passenger seat, I locked my two doors and started up my truck.

I drove away from the aria and after an hour of driving, I found the main road to town. It was only fifty miles away and it only takes forty five minutes to drive to town. I'll get to town, get to the sheriff's station and tell the police what I saw.

"It's finally over."

They probably won't believe me at first, but when I give them the details of the men and tell them the location of the killings, they'll be sure to believe me. At least I'll be safe in town and stay the night in a motel then get help going home tomorrow. I just hope nothing else that's bad or horrifying will happen. This has been a night of Hell, I don't need anymore surprises like the dead body hanging upside down without its skin.

"There's the main road, I'm finally getting out."

As I began to get onto the main road, my truck started to stall then stopped moving all together. It wouldn't move.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

I looked at the meter and felt my heart sink as the arrow pointed to the E.

"Ah, shit. No."

I was out of gas, I had no way of getting to town, I was completely screwed.


	7. Chapter Six: Safe Haven

Chapter Six: Safe Haven

 _8:20, a.m. November 11._

"Stupid, you're just winning the gold medal for the Stupid Olympics Artemis."

I shouted to myself.

"Now it will take you 12 hours to get to town and you'll probably get killed before you reached the first mile. Idiot."

I really hated myself at this point.

"What now, moron?"

I should have checked the gas before driving. I had no extra gas containers on me. I couldn't risk getting out of the truck, "It" might be out there. I decided to stay in the truck and wait for a car to pass by to take me to town. The road is rarely used though. It might take hours before a car comes down the road. I moved to the passenger seat, arming myself with my knives just in case it attacked. I sat and waited for four hours. The road is barely traveled on and the town it leads to is so small, it's not even on the map. Waiting in this truck for so long is torture. I only had one bottle of water and a granola bar on me in the truck. Both were gone within the first hour and I used the bottle as a toilet when I peed.

"Fucking gross."

I was giving up hope of being rescued. Suddenly, I see a white minivan coming down the road.

"Ah, finally. Yes."

My heart leaped for joy.

"HEY! STOP! PLEASE!"

I raced out of the truck and waved for the van to stop. When it did stop, I ran over to the passenger side of the vehicle to see who the people were. I saw a young married couple with two small children in the middle of the van.

"Can you help me?"

I pleaded.

"I was attacked in the woods and need to get to town. It's just up the road about forty five minutes away." I prayed these people would show me compassion and help.

"Can I get a ride please?"

Thankfully, this family was merciful and friendly people.

"Sure thing honey."

The mother said it with the sweetest smile on her face..

"Hop in quickly."

"Thank you."

I was filled with relief. I ran over to my truck to grab my things and slide into the van. I sat in between the two children, a boy and girl who were three year old twins. Just giving birth to one child scared me, I can't imagine having twins. I would guess it would be double the pain. They were really cute, though and it made my want for a baby pretty high.

Hi, I'm Artemis."

After about 45 minutes of screaming children and worked up parents, I finally made it to town.

The town was called "Safe Haven, Missouri." A good name for my situation. The town only had about 187 people living in it so it was very small. I liked it that way. The main buildings ran onto the main road and were block shaped, some were connected to each other. They looked like the buildings you see in old western movie but more modern. The town was lined up straight with two roads running through it making it look like a sideways "H". These road led to the small housings of the towns people. Beyond these houses were speckled the farmers and miles of farmlands of people who didn't live directly in town. Safe Haven was an average small town with small necessities and leisure's. It had its own school building which held Kindergarten all the way up to High school. The town had a Barney's General Store and Outdoor Supplies, an arcade/ice cream shop, a small Baptist church, a Mike's Mechanics and Gas Station, a small diner and a bar with its own restaurant. Safe Haven even had a small bed and breakfast called Annabelle's Inn. At the end of the second road cross was the sheriff's station. The family dropped me off at the front and bid me goodbye before they were gone. I walk into the main entrance of the station and talked to the first deputy I saw. The place had about four deputies. The one I talked to was a tall thin woman with short blonde hair.

"Please Mam I need to talk to the sheriff, I'm here to report a murder."

Everybody in the room looked up at me wide eyed.

"Who was murdered?"

"A bunch of hunters in the woods, they were attacked by. . . I don't know who."

I didn't know what to call the thing what attacked the campsite. I wasn't sure if he would believe me if I called it a monster.

"All I know is what the men who were killed looked like and where it happened."

She immediately took me to the sheriff's office. The station was moderately big and had four small offices for the deputies and a larger one for the sheriff. It also had its own three jail cells. The sheriff was a middle aged man with gray hair and was clean shaved,He was of average height and slightly husky. The name on his tag and desk plate read "Sheriff Harvey Winston".

"Hello, what seems to be the trouble miss?"

Winston asked me with a concerned expression on his tired old face.

"I need to report a murder that happened fifty miles in the woods. It was terrible, I've never saw anything so awful in my whole life, I can't even . . ."

I started to get hysterical.

"Calm down miss, just start from the beginning and tell u what happened."

Winston said trying to calm me down. I took a long, deep breath. I told him everything from when I left the house to when the hunters chased me. For over two hours I gave him as much information as I could. It wasn't until I got to "It" that I almost lot the sheriff.

"Wait a minute, what exactly killed these men miss?"

I had to think really hard about how to describe the thing, so far I didn't know what it looked like except for its leg and foot.

" I don't know who or what it was. I didn't get a good look at it. I only saw its legs. All I know is this isn't a normal killing and I'm lucky to be here and not skinned or hanging in the trees."

He looked at me with a puzzled look on hi face.

"You sure you're not intoxicated or on any drugs of some kind?"

I wanted to punch him for that, but I remained calm.

"No sir, I'm telling the truth and I'm not on any drugs and I'm not drunk."

He placed his hands on the desk in front of him in a triangular shape and leaned forward

"Even if you think your telling the truth, how would we know that without physical evidence?"

I was getting mad at this point.

"Because I know the exact location of where it happened."

I said this with certainty in my voice just so that he'd get I was being honest. He looked at me with is blue eyes that could pierce a man's soul. I stared directly into to how I was sincere.

"Very well miss, we'll build up an investigation about this and head out there tomorrow morning. Can you take us to the spot?"

I felt no need to go back there, but if it would top that thing from killing people, then I have no other options.

"I'll do my best sir."

He looked down at his papers.

"Will you stay in town tonight?" Winston glanced back up at me from his papers as he asked. "Yes sir, I'm going to stay at the Annabelle's Inn tonight."

"Good"

"We'll come and get you when we're ready to head out. You may go now"

I stood up and shook his hand.

"Thank you sir."

I hope at this point, he'll take what I said seriously. That creature needs to be stopped. At least I'm safe in town.

After I left the sheriff station, I grabbed myself a bite to eat at a diner across from the sheriff's station. I had my wallet on me so I had had plenty of money to eat, to get my truck back and to get a room at the inn. My uncle always told me

"Always have your wallet on you, you never know when you might need it even in the woods." He was so right. After I ate. I went down to the end of the first road crossing to Mike's Mechanics and asked them to pick up my truck down the road. They told me They would get it and I could pick it up in the morning. On the other side of the second road crossing on the right was the inn. It was small but well taken care of with ten rooms. I got myself a room for the night. I went in at around 5:00. I took a very long shower to wash the night of terror and cold off me. When I was done. I only put on my purple bra and matching underwear and sat on the corner of my small bed.

"I look like a mess."

I looked down at the small gunshot on my arm. It wasn't bleeding anymore and only stung when you touch it.

"Why did this happen to me?"

I stared up at the ceiling for a long time. I was finally safe. I felt myself start to shake. All the adrenaline in my body was drained. The feelings of fear and overwhelming sadness washed over me and I began to break down crying.

"WHY GOD? WHY DO YOU HATE ME?'

I cried like a crazy person while lying on my stomach, muffling the sound with a pillow so I wouldn't disturb anybody.

"I already hate myself."

I cried for a very long time until I passed out from fatigue and crying too much.


	8. Chapter Seven: Nightmares

Chapter Seven: Nightmares

 _5:30, a.m. November 12_

The whole night, I was tortured by nightmares. They were all set in the woods but the woods were darker and the trees grabbed at me as I ran. The whole time in my nightmares, I was either being chased by the hunters or hunted by a black cloud of smoke with arms and red eyes. I wake up from the nightmare every time I was almost caught.

"Please, just go away."

It was 5:30 in the morning. I just woke up from a nightmare for the fourth time in a row. I was covered in sweat. My long black hair stuck to my light brown skin.

"Just calm down, Artemis. It's over now. Just breathe."

I went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face to calm myself. I stared at myself in the mirror. I couldn't help but notice the purple circles under my deep brown eyes. I look like I haven't slept well in days. . . I haven't slept well in days.

"You look like shit right now."

After drying my face off, I got dressed and went to the inn's cafe to get some breakfast. I only got a small bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice since I wasn't very hungry after the nightmares last night. Sheriff Winston told me yesterday to come back to the station at 8:00 a.m. to take the deputies to the sight of the murders. Before I went back to the station, I walked to the east side of Safe Haven to pick up my truck from Mike's Mechanics and Gas Station. Everything in this small town takes five to ten minutes to get anywhere.

My truck was filled and everything was running just fine, or at least as fine as a 16 year old Toyota truck could run.

"You look better than I do right now, rust bucket."

In the gas station, I picked up a few water bottles, three bags of beef jerky, a flashlight and a pack of A++ batteries and placed them in my red backpack; in case of emergencies.

I drove up to the sheriff's station. As I arrived into Winston's office, two deputies, the blonde lady deputy named Janet Smith and a tall Latino man named Dante Rivera, were already set to go to the crime scene. I was ready to too, though I still shudder at the thought of going back to the source of my nightmares. But, if these deputies can stop this monster from killing anymore people and solve the mystery of what "It" is with my help, then I'll do it.

"I'm ready when you are."

Before heading out, Sheriff Winston pulled out some pictures from under his desk and held them out to me.

"Miss Canmore, are these the men you saw last night?"

Seeing these familiar, putrid faces made me take a step back.

"Yes sir"

I felt the sickness of the night before again. The sickness of almost getting raped, the sickness of seeing their skinned bodies swinging from a tree..

"Well these men are. . . were wanted for crimes of poaching, owning illegal weapons and the rape and murder of three women. You're very lucky to be alive darling."

I hate being called darling. It was demeaning to me.

"You two."

He averted his attention to the deputies.

"Be on alert and report everything to me when you find something."

We left town afterwards. The deputies followed my truck in their patrol car. It wasn't until 10:00 a.m. that we arrived twenty feet away from the spot I was hiding in from both the hunters and "It".

We got out of our vehicles.

"Well, this is where I was when it happened."

I pointed out to to the hole under the tree.

"Over there is where the body is hanging."

I walked over to the spot and to my shock, the body was gone. Not even the pool of blood was there.

"But how? It was here, there was blood all over the ground."

I said with anxiety in my voice. The deputies looked at me with suspicion. How could this be?

I ran to the campsite. There was nothing. No bodies, no weapons, no campsite. Everything was gone, even the cars.

The deputies stood right behind me. "

I swear, it was all right here, I don't understand."

I started to panic as I searched like a crazy person around for a clue to what happened to everything. "It" must have done this, but how?

"You brought us all the way out here for a prank?"

Janet asked me this in an accusing manner. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs how upset and confused I was

"No, it was all here. The creature must have moved everything,"

My voice fell on depth ears.

"There's a large snow storm heading our way young lady. You've wasted our time and efforts which is a federal crime and can put you in a jail cell."

Dante was yelling in my face now.

"We're supposed to prepare for it and you waste our time with nothing."

He grabbed my right wrist forcefully.

"You're in big trouble Missy."

He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and and placed my hands behind my back forcefully. I could easily fight him off, but he works for law enforcement and I'm in too much trouble as it is.

Janet went back to the patrol car and called the sheriff on the two way radio.

"Sheriff, Deputy Janet calling. It was just a teenage prank. We're coming back with the girl. We'll be back in an hour. Over and out"

I was about to be placed in the back of the patrol car when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of red eyes staring at me. The form the eyes belonged to was as if it was see through. I could see its outline but it was as if light passed through it. The form was crouched at the top of a tall oak tree. From this form came a beam of bright blue light.

"LOOK OUT!"

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I pushed Dante out of the way out of the light beam and it blew up the patrol car. The car was blown to flaming pieces.

Janet, Dante and I were lying on the ground.

The form leaped out of the tree and jarred the ground with its impact. Its impact echoed through the woods.

Janet got up and started shooting at the form. It knocked her ten feet way with one swing of its arm.

It walked slowly toward Dante and I. We were still on the ground.

This thing was bigger than anything I could have imagined. My nightmares were coming alive in front of me but much worse. This creature was seven feet tall, it blew up a patrol car with some kind of ray machine, knocked out a law enforcer ten feet away with a single arm, killed ten men in one night and disposed of the evidence and could invisibly cloak itself.

The worst part of this living nightmare was that I can't wake up from this safe. I'm going to die this time.

I'm in really big trouble now.


	9. Chapter Eight: Crash

Chapter Eight: Crash

 _10:15, a.m. November 12._

I couldn't get up, I was flat on my stomach and handcuffed.

"Oh God, no."

The cloaked monster was slowly coming closer to where Dante and I were lying on the ground. With my hands cuffed behind me, I couldn't even fight back let alone run.

"Somebody get me up, please."

Suddenly, I felt myself pulled up to my feet."Are you okay?"

Dante held me up with his left hand while he shot at the monster with his pistol with the other hand.

"I'm okay. Just get these cuff off me."

The creature didn't even try to avoid the shots, they didn't seem to hurt him, he didn't even flinch. What the hell is it?

"It's not working, just fucking run!"

Dante realized this and started to back away with me in his arm. He grabbed me by the waist and spun me around to run away.

"Don't drop me."

The creature was about to follow suit until another gunshot rang through the forest. A bullet managed to hit the monster in a soft place and it bled a strange glowing neon green. Dante and I couldn't believe our eyes, it can be hurt.

The monster roared and turned its head toward the source of the gun shot. It was Janet.

"RUN YOU TWO! DON'T STOP! KEEP RUNNING!"

She was screaming at us with such fear. Her eyes almost shot out of her head she was so scared. Dante continued to to run while balancing me to run as well. The creature turned its attention to Janet. We ran for a minute until my truck was in view. We raced to my truck.

"Get me out of these cuffs now. I can't drive with cuffed hands."  
He pulled out the keys and tried his hardest to unlock the handcuffs without dropping the keys. His hands were shaking the entire time. Finally, the handcuffs were off and my hands were free. My wrists were red and sore, but I was still okay to drive.

"GET IN THE CAR! HURRY!"

Dante was so frazzled at this point. I don't blame him though. I was just as scared as he was.

"START THE TRUCK!"

I KNOW! DON'T YELL AT ME!"

A moment later, we heard Janet's screams in the distance. Then, nothing.

"JANET!"

Dante was about to run back to her, but I grabbed his arm.

"DON'T! WE NEED TO GO NOW!"

"THEN GET US OUT OF HERE NOW!"

He pulled out his gun and started shooting at the trees and the sky at basically nothing due to not being able to see "It". I jumped into my truck and turned it on. Dante jumped into the passenger seat. I raced away in the opposite direction of the monster. I'm so glad I filled it with gas when I was in town. We drove for ten minutes now trying to find another way back to Safe Haven. "Okay kid, you were right about everything. I'm sorry for doubting you before."

I looked to Dante with understanding eyes.

"I forgive you. Honestly, I don't blame you for doubting me. I was starting to doubt myself."

It was true. Everything that happened to me in the last 2 days was like it was straight from a movie or comic book series. It was too strange to be true. but you know what people say, "Fact is stranger than fiction." And believe you me, this was beyond strange.

After I forgave Dante, mu truck started to swerve uncontrollably. One of the tires popped. I ended up crashing into an oak tree. My head hit the airbag hard almost knocking me out. My ears began to ring. It took a few minutes to regain full consciousness. I scratched the top of my head and I was bleeding, but I didn't feel like I had a concussion. Both Dante and I got out to see the damage. The front tire was popped by a long metal blade. This was the creatures doing.

I reached into my truck to grab all my weapons. I placed my bow on my back and my quiver around my waist. I placed as many hunting knives as I could on any place I could on my body with the rest in my backpack. My tomahawk in hand, I was prepared. I gave Dante two of my hunting blades to defend himself with.

"Listen closely, the creature is hunting us. We need to split up so it doesn't kill us both at once." Dante looked at me wide eyed.

"We can't both die, if we go in opposite directions, the creature will only chase after one of us, this will give one of us at least a chance to get back to tow and find help."

I tried to sound as brave as I could to the deputy, but underneath it, I was terrified. But I knew this thing was targeting me.

"I know these woods, I even know of a cavern a mile away. I can lead it in on of the caverns and escape. Trust me"

This was kind of a lie, I knew the cavern well and could lead into a dead end, but there was no chance of getting out alive without my cave diving equipment or avoiding getting impaled by those wrist blades. However, if Dante got back to town, the whole town would believe him and go into attack mode after this monster and get more reinforcements. It was worth a shot to stop this monster. It was worth dying. Dante looked puzzled about what to do. Then, he finally answered.

"Fine kid, but you better be the one to make it out of here alive, it's my job to keep people like you safe."

I looked him straight in the eyes.

"Got it. I'll do that."

That was a lie. He needs to be the one to live in order to stop this thing. I held my tomahawk, ready for action..

We took off in opposite directions. I should have joined a marathon with all this running I was doing. All of my uncle's training sessions and hunting exercises were paying off. An average person would have collapsed from exhaustion by now, but I was raised and trained by my uncle who was a Vietnam War veteran and a full fledged Comanche warrior. I was built tough by his upbringing. I can handle this. I kept running even at the point of sheer fatigue. My instincts to survive at its strongest pushed me further to run. Suddenly, I started falling. I didn't see the eight foot ledge in front of me. I free fell for only a second or two, but I hit my head on the hard ground. I hit my head again, this time knocking me completely out. I don't know what knocked me out, but by the light of the day still bright, it wasn't for long. I could here even more ringing in my ears than before from the blow of the fall. My head was throbbing with pain in my head. I reached for the top of my forehead to assess the damage. It was just a bump, but later it could be worse. I might have a concussion. My vision was a little blurry, but I could see I was on a river bank. Across from me was a shallow ten feet wide river. Stumbling to my feet, I ran across the four foot deep river. As I made my way to the other side of the river bank and started to climb the muddy bank wall out of the river, I heard a loud crash from behind me. The invisible cloaked creature was about to cross the river to catch me As it made its way into the water, flashes of bright blue light began to dance around the creature like lightning. Its invisible form began to fall away. I could truly see now what the monster truly looked like. It was beyond muscular from the top of its tube like deadlocked head to its clawed metal covered feet. I could tell from his body shape and proportions that it was male. Its whole body; except for the arms, legs and the sides of its torso, was covered in silver samurai like armor and had a ray gun on its left shoulder. The rest of its exposed olive hued skin was covered in a black netting. The top of its head was crested and tall. It almost looked like those dinosaurs that budded heads together. Those long tube like dreadlocks came below the crest completely exposing the top of ts head. Each dreadlock had a metal bead like a decoration for regular hair. Its face and the top of its head was covered by a silver metal mask that had big red eyes and a targeting system on the left side that shown three berms of red light in a triangle shape. Its skin was reptilian like and was covered in green diamond shapes throughout its body and speckled with brown pebble shaped spots.

Its wrists had huge metal cuffs that covered its massive forearms. The right cuff carried the long wrist blades that before dripped the blood of one of the hunters. The blades were bent lightly in and were shaped like fangs on the inside to tear through tough skin.

This was nothing like my worst nightmare. This wasn't just a monster, it was an advanced, technological, humanoid, alien being. To top it all off, it was an advanced hunting alien, and I was it can I fight this?

"Ah Fuck."


	10. Chapter Nine: Fight

_Warning, this chapter contains violence and adult language. Viewer discretion is advised._

Chapter Nine: Fight

 _12:00, p.m. November 12_

I couldn't help but be both amazed and terrified at this intergalactic hunter. Just looking at it could make any macho man shiver with fear. It was horrifyingly impressive.

"No time for this Artemis, get out of there!" shouted my inner voice.

I turned away from the alien and climbed out of the river bank. I scurried to my feet and started running.

"I can do this."

Before I could get away, a beam of blue bright light zoomed inches away from my face hitting a nearby tree. The tree was a million toothpicks now. The impact of the blow knocked me off my feet to the ground.

"Ow, bastard."

I looked behind me to see the alien preparing to shoot again. I jumped out of the beams way, summer salting as the alien continued to fire. I made made my way to a giant boulder away from the blasts. It stopped firing at me. I had my back to the boulder with my tomahawk in hand and waiting for it to come and get me. I stayed quiet. My inner voice, on the other hand; wouldn't shut up

"What is this stuff? Green blood?"

I saw the neon green blood coming from its upper right leg. I wanted to hit it in that spot. I also need my inner voice to stop talking.

"Shut up, I need to concentrate."

I held my breath as it inched closer to the boulder. I crouched to the ground to avoid being caught.

"Just stay quiet for a little longer."

Its bleeding leg in view, I swung my tomahawk and buried it as far as it could in its leg. It didn't go in very far, but it made the creature roar in pain.

"AH SHIT!"

Before it could grab me, I pulled my tomahawk out and dodged its grasp. Neon green covered my hands and weapon.

"Great, you made him mad. Excellent work dumbass."

The creature hunched over with pain. It looked at me. I couldn't see its face, but I knew it was mad. I took off running. It followed followed suit, but more slowly. It shot at me, but I dodged every one of the beams.

"Come on, you can do better than that you fucking wimp."

I wish I hadn't said that. Apparently, it could understand me.

"What now, Artemis? You gonna say sorry?'

I hate the sound of my voice right now.

"Will you shut up for once?"

It pulled out what looked like a Chinese throwing star and aimed it at me. This was harder to avoid. It manage to graze my left cheek. The throwing star pun in the air. It wasn't just like a throwing star, it was like a boomerang too because it turned around and went back to its owner.

It threw it again. This time the disk managed to cut my right arm. The wound only trickled small amounts of blood, but it felt like a hundred paper cuts.

"FUCK!"

The disk went back to it owner again. At this point, I was mad as Hell. It threw the disk again. This time, I swung my tomahawk and knocked it out of the air.

"TAKE THAT, PUSSY FACE!"

I took off running again. I've been running so much lately. I feel as if I'm going to vomit any second. My legs are burning painfully and my lungs are stinging from the inside. It's almost impossible to breathe. Even though it's below freezing, sweat beads were trickling down my face and I was feeling overheated and sweaty underneath my grey coat. I managed to unbutton my coat while running to cool down.

"Don't do that now, just keep running!"

I hate my voice right now, but it was right. I ran into the direction of the caverns. From where I was, the caverns were about five mile away. To an untrained person, the caverns could be deadly. I was the only person who knew about though, and I knew the caverns like the back of my hand. I could trap the alien in that alien easily in there. I might not get out alive though. I might die either by its hands or trapping myself in the process.

"What's worse, dying while killing "It" or dying by "It"?"

My voice was right again. That didn't matter now. I had to get it to the cavern first and it was getting dark. The alien still trailed me. I allowed it to so it wouldn't come after Dante.

"I hope Dante's okay."

For a hurt alien, it sure moved fast. It was gaining on me now. I had to think fast.

"Get your bow out, stupid."

I pulled out my bow and an arrow out of my quiver. I spun around and aimed at its leg again, sending the arrow deeper into the wound. I fell over to its ide in pain. I fired another arrow into the exposed side of its torso. It roared again at the impact.

"Got you, dickless!"

Before I could fire another arrow, a small blade was shot at me cutting my bow in half.

"NO!"

The alien got up to grab me, but I pulled away and swung my tomahawk at it. This time though, it grabbed the handle of my tomahawk and pulled it out of my hands, throwing it a mile away. It knocked me ten feet away with its arm. I crashed hard and rolled on the ground a little.

It came at me with a rage, but I dodged it underneath it legs, slicing the inside of its upper left leg with a hunting knife. This fight was going on forever now and I don't know how long I can hold out. It was darker now so fighting was getting harder. We were closer to the caverns now, it was only a mile away now. But the only way to get there was to slide down a steep fifteen foot cliff.

I stood at the edge. An idea came to me. "

Hey ugly, if you're suppose to be a hunter, you suck at it!"

I taunted it. It might not be a good idea, but I was fucking mad

"You can't even take on a skinny ass girl. What's the matter with you, you stupid Star Trek wannabe!"

If it wasn't mad before, it was now.

"COME ON! I'M RIGHT HERE! KILL ME!"

It charged at me. I stood my ground until it was close enough. When it was close enough, I jumped up and pushed off of its shoulders to back flip in the air.

"GOT YA!"

I landed on my feet on the other side of the alien. The alien went over the wall and fell.

"Good riddance."

I looked over the edge and saw saw it lying motionless on the ground below. I collapsed on my knees and began to vomit. It was only a little bit, but it was still horrid to smell and a very sickly yellow mixed with green.

"I'm really tired of throwing up."

I had to slow my breathing to calm myself down. My heart was pumping like crazy in my chest as if it was its own being trying to escape from its bone prison. When my heart rate finally returned to normal and I felt I could stand without getting sick again, I decided to make sure it was dead.

"Be on alert. Don't assume anything or you'll be dead."

Sometimes, I just want to kill my inner voice for treating me like a lobotomized idiot.

Yeah, I know that. Now shut up."

I found and slid on my bottom down the less steep part of the cliff to finish the alien off. I went to where it fell, but it was gone. I wasn't going to stay and get caught.

"There's the opening. Finally."

I took off to the cavern, hoping I would make it without being blown up. I hope Dante was still alive.

"This is going to be another long night."

"I know that."


	11. Chapter Ten: Caught

Chapter Ten: Caught

 _Inside the caverns, 12:15, p.m. November 13_

It was darker than ever now. At winter time, night time was darker and colder.

"Which way is it?"

I pulled out my flashlight to see where I was going.

I haven't encountered the alien for nearly two hours now. It might be tending to its wounds or something, I took a few minutes to do the same for myself. Thank God I brought medical supplies in my backpack.

"Where are they?"

It took a long time, but I finally made it to the caverns.

"Yes. There you are."

I was at the mouth of the opening of the cave. It was very large and has stalactites hanging down looking like a beast with fangs ready to eat you.

"God, this thing is scary."

This was one of the two only openings into the caverns. One wrong move and you could end up lost forever or die.

"Here goes nothing."

I heard an all too familiar purring sound and ran into the caverns.

"Oh no."

The walls of the caverns were smooth to the touch but overhead, the ceiling hung long, large stalactites. Stalagmites grew underneath on each side allowing some passage through the caverns. One wrong step and you would be impaled. I walked for only about five minutes before a beam of blue light passed by me and hit a nearby stalagmite.

"WOAH!"

Before I knew it, a giant clawed fist swung over my head and smashed a large hole in the rock wall. Dust came out as it pulled out its fist. It continued to try to punch me, but I dodged every punch.

"DON'T YOU EVER GIVE UP?"

It was about to shoot its ray gun again. I picked up a large rock and chucked it at its masked face. The rock knocked its head back causing multiple beams to hit the cavern ceiling. Dozens of stalactites began to fall along with the ceiling itself.

"AH GREAT!"

Both the alien and I were trying to avoid being crushed to death and ran as fast as we could farther into the caverns, dodging one falling rock after another.

"FUCK!"

One giant chunk of rock ceiling fell on top of the alien knocking it out. Rocks and stalactite covered its body burying it. Another stalactite tripped me and I collapsed on the ground.

I was almost impaled by another falling stalactite, but I managed to roll away, but the stalactite managed to lodge itself into my opened coat only missing my heart. It pinned me to the ground trapping me on my back. I couldn't get up or take off my coat, I was stuck. The stalactite managed to graze the left side of my ribcage. I screamed in pain. It didn't break any bones or hit any organs, but it managed to slice my skin like a knife and I was heavily bleeding pretty badly

The rock shower finally ended after a few seconds. The rock shower created a large cave in. The only way out now was to go farther into the cavern.

"Ah, ow, fuck. Ow."

I tried to pull the stalactite out of my coat, but it was too deep. I was in so much pain, clasping at my side trying to stop the bleeding and flinching from the terrible stinging whenever I touched it.

Suddenly, I heard a loud roar that echoed through the vastness of the caverns.

"No"

The alien survived the rock pounding.

"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS!"

It pushed the large rocks away like small toys and walked over to me. It picked me up by the collar of my coat and which caused my coat to get ripped at the part that was stuck in the stalactite.

"NO!"

It has me by the collar of my coat, holding me up with only its muscular right arm over its huge muscular form. I held on with both hands just to keep myself from choking to death but I couldn't pry his giant hand 's so tall and it's too strong, I can't even touch the ground anymore. I'm so scared, but I refuse to scream. I'm a descendant of great Comanche warriors and military heroes. I'll go down fighting if I have to. I can't give in to fear. I'm ready for whatever this monster has in store for me. After a minute of waiting for my death to come at its hands, it just stared up at me. I couldn't see the expressions of its face since it was covered with a metal mask, but it tilted its head to the right side as if wondering about something; maybe why I didn't scream. After a while, I began to get more irritated than scared and just wanted this nightmare to be over with.

"What are you waiting for you ugly motherfucker, just do it already!"

After I said that, it pulled me into its face. I was so close to its face, I was almost touching its metal mask and could see mechanics and tubes going through it. The alien raised its other arm up. Its other hand had wolverine like claws strapped to it, preparing to impale me.

Oh no, this is it.

Oh God no, no, no. . .

"If you kill me, you kill yourself!"

I was screaming in its face. Its blades lowered as I said that. I had an idea just then that would give me more time.

"I'm the only person on this planet who knows these caverns and I know them well. I know the way out alive."

I huffed as I said that.

"If you kill me, you'll end up either lost down the wrong way or dead, you need me."

It lowered me to my feet but kept its grip on me still.

"You do understand me, don't you?"

I asked it in a raspy voice because I still could barely breathe.

"I understand perfectly ooman."

It talked!

"HUH!"

I couldn't help but gasp at this realization.

Do not be so surprised female. I know hundreds more languages than you would ever know even in your short lifetime."

It sounded like a growl and a toads croak, but it was perfectly understandable.

"Do not lead me into any traps. If you do, then I will finish you off. Understand ooman girl?"

I could only nod my head in agreement.

"Good."

it said. He grabbed me by my right arm.

"Show me the way out and I give you my oath that no harm will come to you now or after we leave this place."

I was taken aback by his proper tone and his noble like oath. You don't hear things like that anymore except in old fashioned movies and such. I still didn't trust him. Huh, now I'm calling him "Him" now instead of "It". He's obviously male by the looks of his large . . . you know. All the more reason why I didn't trust him.

"Why should I trust you, mister macho?"

I asked mockingly. He stared at me, even though I couldn't see his face I could tell he was staring me right in the eyes.

"I will let you keep the rest of your weapons to defend yourself with and allow you to freely walk without bondage, but only close to me so you won't escape"

He pulled out a strange metal orb from one of his pockets on his waist. It glowed bright white and shined throughout the cavern more brightly than my flashlight.

"I swear a blood oath to you ooman as an honorable hunter."

Raising his right hand high in the air. His words amazed me. I thought he was not capable of even talking, but he was capable of that and more. He understood honor of a warrior apparently, a concept I lived everyday since birth. This wasn't a mindless beast, it was a sentient, moral being. I looked at him with wide eyes, at this point I had to trust him to get out alive. As an honorable warrior and hunter myself, I held the same value of a blood oath.

"Then I swear with a blood oath to not to betray you, I'll get you out safe"

Raising my hand high as well.

"We have a deal, then."

He held out his right arm with an opened hand, he wanted me to take it with my own. I held out my right hand and grasped his wrist tightly while holding my wounded side with the left. He tightly grasped his right hand shook it roughly; almost breaking my fingers.

"Damn, this guy is strong."

"Now's not the time for that, Artemis."

After a few seconds, we let go.

"Stay by my left side ooman."

he told me this as we walked

"I'm not ooman or whatever you just called me, I'm Artemis, Artemis Canmore."

I said with an annoyed tone. He sounded rude by the name he called me sounded.

"Arch-Teh-Mizz?"

he repeated with his best pronunciation.

"Good enough." I said with a small annoyance.

"For now, at least"

We continued to walk down the caverns. What was I doing?


	12. Chapter Eleven: Difficulties

Chapter Eleven: Difficulties

 _1:00, a.m. November 13_

This was my first lone hunt I have ever been on since I completed my _Kiande amedha chiva (Hard meat trial)_ and I was made a full blooded member of the clan. I had made the decision to be a lone hunter for I never felt I had never belonged with my fellow clan members who ridiculed me for my strange interests in the _pyode amedha (soft meats)_ or oomans as they are well known by. Killing the black demons of death and taking their heads as trophies was the most physically challenging obstacle I ever had to face, but resorting to allying myself with an ooman; a female ooman, and relying on her to guide me out of this death hole was the most mentally difficult task I have ever met. If I had finished this child maker in the first place, I would not be here now trapped underground with the most infuriating female I have ever come across. And yet, a part of my being still did not want to finish her off and was glad of it. I do not know what makes this ooman female that makes her both infuriating but also intriguing to me. She confuses me. I first encountered the female when I first arrived on this backwater planet. I was cloaked o she couldn't detect my presence. At first , I didn't know she was female. compared to the females on my planet, the ooman female would be too small and too short. The females on my planet are much bigger than the males and are much stronger as well. For my kind, it was very difficult to tell the ooman genders apart. I've always had an obsession with the ways of oomans and knew more about them than any one else in my clan and yet it was still difficult for me to decipher her sex. The only way I could decipher that was by the round and rather large breasts he processed. Though they were hard to see due to her amount of clothing she wore over them. The female yautja rarely covered there chests and lacked breasts except for when they had a small child. To see such a permanent feature on a female that was always covered was strange. Everything about the ooman female was strange. For one matter, the female was completely alone when I discovered her in the woods. She lived in a small living quarter in the woods all by herself, even though the living quarter to hold two oomans. Females living alone on my planet is unheard of A female would either have a child with them or another female to live with whether it was a mother or a sister. To see this very young female alone without even a child was surprising to say the least. Another strange aspect of the female was the way she was shaped.

The female wasn't just small, she was also thin. To an Yautja warrior, she would be considered starved looking. But she wasn't starved, she was a healthy weight for an ooman standards. he was soft and yet strong looking at the same time. She seemed to possess a strength in her body without her muscles being too prominent as it is in my kind; both male and female. She was a strange mixture of delicateness and toughness. When I first encountered this female, she was outside of her living quarters in the cold. It was during the late hours of the planets days. he was sharpening her weapons. It wasn't uncommon for Yautja females to own weapons, but I have never seen any female with as many weapons as this one did. She had all kinds of knives and blades. She even carried an ax type weapon with a long, sharp tip on the other side of the blade.

This was a warrior, and a skilled warrior at that.. After she was done sharpening her blades, she would send them flying into the air into a tree or would practice fighting technique with them in her hands. It was like a dance the way she jumped and twirled with her blades. It was graceful and yet powerful. The ooman female also possessed a strange wooden weapon with a thin strand of rope connecting the two ends of the bent wood together; an ooman weapon known as a bow.

She was skilled with this weapon as well. After she finished practicing with her blades, the ooman picked up her bow and began sending long metal tipped sticks; arrows, into her target without missing a single one. This was a true warrior, I wanted her head as a trophy. I chose her as my prey to hunt. But then, she started to sing. She continued to fire her arrows while she sang.

Yautja cannot sing, we physically were incapable of creating music with our voices. Hearing a creature sing so sweet and beautifully stopped me where I stood. Her song spoke of being unheard to anyone and not falling after being shot at, it spoke of being made of a metal called "Titanium". I couldn't move or take my eye from her form, all I could do was listen to her voice. My mask record everything that happens on my hunts to show to others. It recorded the females actions and that song. I felt confused about what to do with the female after she sang. I no longer wished to hunt her. I just watched this ooman female. She never noticed my presents for the first two days as I watched her, my confusion and interests about the female growing more and more.

It wasn't until the incident with the creature known as a white tailed deer that I almost made myself known. I couldn't help my purring. It was instinct to calm an upset female or else she will tear you apart. This female was overtaken by grief over an unjustly hunted animal. When I saw her with the deer, I saw how much more of a great hunter and warrior she was. I saw great honor and mercy toward a dying creature in this small ooman that any Yautja would respectfully. I saw courage in her hunt for the bad blood oomans and great skill in fighting those ooman. I also saw what was uncommon in my culture, kindness, she showed true kindness toward a creature not her own kind and wanted justice for the deer's death. Her mercy and kindness she possessed made my heart feel strange. It beat faster with just the thought of her even now. Having the female so close to me in this cavern made the feeling stronger. Touching her even slightly stopped my heart completely. Why did it do this? Why did I feel this only for the female ooman?

I never felt this for anything in my life. Why was it so difficult to hunt her properly? Even though my teachings and training required me to kill her, I didn't want to kill her. Even when I was chasing her through the woods I didn't want to. Why not? She was so different from an Yautja. And yet, her characteristics, skills and honor code was so similar to my own kind; to me.

This ooman was difficult to figure out what to do with. The female was also difficult to tolerate when she angered me. We have been walking for two whole earth hours now and her manner of insulting or mocking me was waning on me. She would call me "Macho". I do not know what it means, but the way she said it sounded like an insult. I took a blood oath not to harm her, but at times I wished to slap her. Then, I would feel regret for such a thought toward her and lose my anger. There is no honor in hurting a female in such a manner. If I had tried to smack an Yautja female, I wouldn't be able to walk ever again. Also, looking at it from her point of view, I threaten her. She is defending herself with her insults and trying to push me away from me. A part of my being feels empathy to her and also. . . I'm not sure what I feel anymore. She was also wounded from the stalactite that pinned her to the ground during the cavein. She was holding her side and her face was showing great discomfort. I have suffered worst injuries and barely even flinch, but the look on her face made made me want to ease the pain for her. I would not try to touch her though. My teachings as a youngling taught me to never help wounded prey of any kind during a hunt or exploring another planet. We are only supposed to use our healing supplies for ourselves or for clan members. I still wished I could help her somehow, she would probably turn away any help from me though. She might push away any assistance from me or yell at me to stay away from her; she might call me a "Motherfucker" again for even trying. Why do I act the way I do toward her with irritation and yet concern? Oomans are more complex than I thought they were, especially females.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Tensions

Chapter Twelve: Tensions

 _2:00, a.m. November 13_

This was the most awkward walk I've ever been on. I have to walk two feet next to a behemoth of an alien not only so that I can't get away but also because the caverns at times would be too small at times to get a good distance apart from him. I've been holding my arms to my chest so I wouldn't be touching him. I didn't want him near me at all. But being near him and leading him out was the only way to survive this hellhole. I didn't want to look at him either. Looking at this alien send shivers down my spine.

"You're not that great to look at yourself, assface."

"Why won't you ever stop with the insults?'

I was arguing in my head with myself again.

"I'm not the one calling you that, you are. You're bat shit crazy, remember?"

Damn it, I hate it when I'm right. I'm the one who keeps calling myself stupid and crazy. I never really realized until now how much I hate myself. I don't want to, but I do. I hate myself. I turned my face from him for the most part. He, on the other hand, kept staring at me. His eyes, or at least his mask eyes, were locked on me unless he had to look away to watch where he was going. I half wished he would trip and fall to stop his stares. He's been staring at me for two hours now and I've had enough.

"Stop it!"

I glared up at him.

"Stop staring at me, it's creepy."

My hands turned into fists as I said it.

"What the Hell are you looking at?"

He stepped in front of me then, blocking me from walking any farther.

"I am only keeping an eye on you so you won't escape ooman."

I narrowed my eyes at him for calling me that.

"One, my name is Artemis not "Ooman. Two, I can't run away, even if I wanted to. You'll just catch up to me."

I closed my eyes and took a breath before I got mad.

"Besides, I took a blood oath to help you. I always keep my word Macho."

He leaned over me, backing me into the wall of the cavern. He didn't touch me though, he didn't harm me.

"I do not appreciate that mocking name female."

He was trying to intimidate me, it didn't work. It just made me madder.

"I'm not "Female" either, I'm Artemis, Ar-Teh-Miss. Got it?"

He kept staring down at me for a few moments. Then, he finally straightened himself and moved to the side.

"very well, Artemis."

Finally, he got my name right.

"See, not hard at all."

He spoke again.

"You may call me . . . Dha-viath."

By the way he paused and said his name, I don't think it meant anything good.

"Dahah-Ve-Ath? What does that even mean?"

He finally turned his eyes away from me, but it felt like he did so out of shame. I couldn't help but feel guilty for asking. That feeling didn't last long though when he spoke again.

"Move, we're wasting time with this nonsense."

I gritted my teeth at that remark.

"KNOWING SOMEBODY'S NAME ISN'T NONSENSE! IT'S ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL FOR BUILDING TRUST!"

I didn't mean to shout it, but he was being a real pain in the ass.

"Besides, I need to stop. I'm tired, I'm hungry, my side is killing me and . . . I need to use the bathroom."

He tilted his head at the last thing I said.

"What is "bathroom"?"

Oh God, I have to explain this?

"A place you go to . . . relieve yourself." This was more awkward than before, but at least he got it.

"Very well, you may stop and relieve yourself over there."

He pointed to a nearby stalagmite we passed earlier. It was four feet across and five feet high, so it would shield me from prying eyes. Still, I had to make sure he didn't watch.

"Thanks a lot."

As I stepped over to the stalagmite, I turned my head over my shoulder at him.

"Turn away and don't look."

He only turned his body to the side tilting hi head to the cavern ahead. I still took precautions by using my torn coat as a shroud to cover my right side as I squatted. It was so uncomfortable.

After I was done and pulled up my pants, he spoke again.

"If you are finished, we should be moving on now."

He was really getting on my nerves. alien or not, I hate being bossed around like a child by anyone.

"Hey, don't order me around. I'm the one leading you out of here so I say we stop and rest. You need rest too, don't you?"

I was almost screaming as I said that. He growled at me. The nerve of this guy.

"Growl at me all you want, it doesn't change anything. It's going to take at least two days to get out of here without proper equipment so we need to be careful and being tired and hungry will just add more problems if we don't take a break. You've been chasing me around all morning and all night. We've been walking for two hour straight and I'm on the brink of passing out. I need to dress my wounds or they'll get infected and I die and then you'll die. How are you not tired at all? You probably need to piss too. Just give me twenty minutes to eat, heal myself and drink some water. Can't you . . ."

I was ranting. I'm so tired, in pain and hungry. On top of that, I was mad. A dangerous mix.

"ENOUGH ARTEMIS!"

His shouting echoed through the caves.

"You may rest. Just stop talking."

I wanted to call him a Jackass, but I needed to stay on his good side to stay alive.

"Thanks."

I said it trying not to sound annoyed by him. I sat on the right side of the smooth cavern wall while he sat six feet away from me on the left wall. The glowing white orb in between us. I pulled off my backpack to find the beef jerky and water I bought hours ago in Safe Haven. I also pulled out my first aid kit. I had just one small roll of gauze, adhesive tape, gauze pads, bandage strips and antibiotic ointment but I was out of pain relievers and basically everything else. I should have picked up more medical supplies at the Safe Haven Pharmacy or at least at the gas station instead of beef jerky. The rest of my supplies were either in the truck or empty. I managed to cover my wound with the ointment, put the gauze pads over the wound and covered it up with the tape. I also covered up my head wound and the cut on my arm from the throwing disk as well. It was patchy work at best, but it was the best I could do in this gloomy place. While I was busy with that, Dhua . . . Dahaa- vee . . . whatever his name was began to push buttons on his wrist cuff. It kept sparking and hissing a he continued. It also made fuzzy beeping noises as if something was broken.

"Did it break during the cave in?"

I asked. He didn't speak, but he nodded yes. I guess he didn't want to talk. So I stopped talking.

I pulled out a two bags of regular beef jerky and two bottles of Ozark water. I rolled a bottle over to him, but he just looked at it. Maybe he didn't know what it was. I held the bottle up for him to see and pulled up the tab, squirting water into my mouth. Mm, that was good. He picked up the bottle examining the plastic. He sat it down and began to pull out his breathing tubes to remove his mask. I braced myself for whatever lay behind that metal mask. When he removed his mask, my jaw along with my water bottle hit the floor. His eyes were yellow with red irises. His crest had spiked like hair around it and on top of his eyebrows. He didn't have lips, he had finger like appendages with sharp tusks to cover his row of sharp fangs. He didn't have a nose, he just had two small hole to breathe out of. The top of his head had a ridge in the middle as well as two diamond shapes, one on the top and the other on the bottom. He's unlike anything I've ever seen before, but I wasn't scared.

He picked up his water bottle and mimicked my movements, except he spread out his . . . I don't know what to get water into his mouth. He didn't have a tongue, not one that I could see. I opened up a bag of jerky and lightly tossed it to him. He pulled out a small piece and began to nibble it slowly. Then his eye lit up and he jammed more into his mouth, It wasn't pleasant to watch so I faces away as I ate my jerky. When he was done devouring his jerky, he went back to fixing his cuff. It still wasn't working right. What happened next completely dumbfounded me. His cuff began to play a recording of a song. I didn't know it could to that. It was a muffled recording of my favorite song "Titanium" and I was the one singing it. I shot up from where I sat staring at him in disbelief. He recorded me two days before I went out to hunt. He's been watching me for almost a week.

He banged at his cuff to shut up the recording. When it finally stopped, he looked up at me. His face fingers covering his mouth tightly as if out of embarrassment.

After a long time of silence, I finally spoke.

"Okay, I'm rested, lets go."

I sounded almost panicked as I said it.

"I agree."

He said as he got up quickly.

We walked on into the caverns without a word.

"This" is the most awkward walk I've ever been on.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Questions

Chapter thirteen: Questions

 _2:23, a.m. November 13._

We've been walking for only three minutes, but the shock of hearing my recorded voice from his wrist cuff devise was still fresh in my mind. Millions of questions burned holes in my head about this alien. I need to know what he is and why he's here; especially why it recorded me singing.

So while we walked, I began to ask my questions.

"How long have you been watching me?'

He didn't respond at all. I still went on with my questions.

"Why did you record me? What are you here for?"

He continued to ignore me. This made me ask more.

"Where are you from?"

His ignoring me was finally getting me mad.

"Why won't you answer me?"

He finally acknowledged me and turned his masked face down to face me.

"Why do you pestering me with your endless chattering? You are irritating me"

He called my questions chattering. I wanted to hit him, but it would hurt me more if I did.

"I'm _chattering_ because it's too quiet. I don't like it too quiet, _that_ irritates me."

I was close to yelling. Funny, now that I'm not scared of him anymore, I can yell at him like any other man who gets me mad. Maybe I'm just tired of being scared all the time.

"Why won't you answer any of my questions?"

He turned his face forward.

"I have no obligation to entertain your nonsensical chattering ooman."

I stopped in my tracks at his rude remark.

"I'm . . . Not . . . Ooman! I'm Artemis! What does ooman even mean?"

Like before, he ignored me. But, I had an idea of how to get my answers.

"Fine, be that way. Just know that whatever questions _you_ ask _me_ , like how to get out of this place and where the dangerous parts of the caverns are for examples, I won't answer them. I won't _entertain your nonsensical chattering._ "

He stopped walking and sharply turned around to face me. I crossed my arms and stuck out my chin to show how serious I was. After a minute or so, he made a rumbling noise under his throat as if he was thinking. I stood firm. He finally spoke.

"Very well Artemis. I will answer your previous questions. I record everything I see and hear to recapture my past actions and to use later. I am not from this galaxy at all. I call you ooman because it is what my kind call your kind"

It finally made sense now.

"Oh, you meant human. I get it now. Wait, what is your kind?"

He began to walk away. I trailed next to him by two feet a before.

"I am an Yautja."

I looked up in confusion.

"E what ya?"

He looked down at me.

"Exactly. My kind are larger than your kind and smarter. We live far away from your galaxy, but it takes only a few of your planets weeks to arrive here with our ships. Our technology far surpassed your ooman technology. We can learn and adapt faster i replicating your languages and fighting styles. We are true hunters."

I couldn't help hearing pride in his voice. I couldn't help but be astounded by what he told me. I felt fear creep up inside me again. It didn't stop my questions though.

"Why are you here on my planet in the first place? Are you here to study humans?"

Then I realized why without him telling me. I stopped walking. The weapons, the recording devices, the deadly technology, the fighting techniques. It wasn't for studying humans, it's all for hunting humans like animals.

"You're hunting humans. Why? What did we ever do to you?"

I felt defensive.

"Your kind does not have to do anything. Your kind is dangerous enough game for my kind to hunt and earn as trophies. You are prey to us."

Any fear I had left was gone now and replaced with rage.

"We are not prey, we're sentient beings with morals, laws and integrity. We're not stupid animals for you to hunt. What you said is bullshit. What gives you the right to come to our planet and hunt us? We didn't do anything to you, we don't even know you exist. We don't deserve this, I don't deserve this. You're just a bunch of . . . "

He hit the wall hard with his fist shaking the cavern. "Enough, you talk too much." He shouted and roared at the same time. It only phased me for a second.

"Actually, I rarely ever talk. This is the longest conversation I've ever had in four years."

He pulled his hand from the wall.

"Why is is that? Is it because you are a nuisance to listen to?"

Jackass.

"No, I rarely talk because the people the people I used to talk to and cared about the most are gone and I'm alone. The only time I talk to people anymore is when I need to, even if I dislike them, like you."

He growled.

"So why do you need to talk to me?"

I put my hands on my hips.

"Because you're the only one here to talk to and you understand me."

He mimicked my body gesture.

"Then I regret I have ever spoken to you."

I stuck my tongue at him.

The female poked her tasting organ out. I know that it means she is displeased with my last response. She is angered easily and stubborn in her own ways. If she was taller and had mandibles on her face, he would make a perfect female Yautja. Even her ways of asking her endless amount of questions was perfect for our females. The're endless chatter is frustrating for any male Yautja to suffer. Why do females talk so much? This female was no different. Still, if answering her ridiculous questions will get us out of this godforsaken place faster, then so be it. With all of her endless questions, she has now implanted the need to ask my own questions of her. I deserve that much from suffering her nonsense.

"So where are your so called people you care for? Why are you so alone?"

I do not know why this matters to me, but this question went through my mind since I first saw he. I want to know. She looked away but kept her stance.

"They're . . . all dead. My parents and my uncle were the only people who I cared about and cared about me. They're dead and the rest of my family are nothing but selfish white trash racists with no sense of loyalty and honor. They never cared about me, only themselves. I hate them." The way she spoke of her own blood made it sound a if they were all bad-bloods.

"What makes you hate your own blood?"

To know why one is a bad-blood is important in Yautja society. This is no different. She began to walk. Finally. My patience was working.

"Why shouldn't I hate them. They hated my father for being Native American, not Caucasian. They thought he wasn't good enough for my mother because of that alone. He was a good man, a hard working man who could take care of my mom. They just hated his race and nothing more. They hated him more when my mom got pregnant with me. They all wanted her to abort me and never see my father again. They never wanted me. I don't want people who don't want me." Her words managed to connect to how unwanted I was with my own clan. I will always be apart of the clan and have to report when summoned, but no matter what I do, I will never belong."

Then she let out a long sigh of sadness

"No matter what I did, I never belonged."

Did she read my thoughts? How did she know? Another question arose.

"What does it mean to abort you?"

The small creature looked up at me. She took a breath.

"It means to . . . end an unborn babies life. To take it out piece by piece out of the womb."

I was sickened by her words, so was she. I roared with anger.

"Disgusting, such evil to take the life of the unborn. Only dishonorable bad-bloods would do such a crime punishable by death or life banishment."

She had the right to hate her own blood.

"I agree, many people here don't feel like that way though. When my mother refused to kill me, her own mother and father disowned her. She loved me enough to leave her family and to choose my father over them."

Her mother did this for her?

"Your mother and father were honorable oomans."

This made the ends of her mouth curl upwards. I knew it as a ooman gesture of happiness known as a smile. What I said delighted her. It is better than her anger. I will keep this in mind when I speak to her.

"They were very young too, seventeen years old when I was born and when they got married."

Young bloods. Her mother and father were young bloods. Yautja are not allowed mates until they are blooded after 150 ooman years. Oomans age so m much faster and are only considered young bloods until they are eighteen years old. Yet, her mother and father chose each other as life mates at such a young age. The practice is only done by the elders but it is so common for oomans. This seemed strange to me at first, but now I wonder what a life mating is like. I'll never know any kind of mating for I have been rejected many times for being too small and weak for the females. I pulled out of myself from such thoughts.

"What became of them?"

Why would I ask such a personal question? It was a disrespectful notion to speak of the dead, but I want to know why they died. She answered me.

"All I remember is my parents and me in a car at night and another car hitting us head on during a stop light. My parents died shielding me from being killed too. I was the only survivor in that crash and I almost lost my left arm. I was only five. The scar on my arm always reminds me I'm an orphan."

This female was stronger than I thought. I wanted to know more.

"Who cared for you then?"

Her mood changed back to positive.

"My father's brother. He was my only family when I was growing up. Nobody else cared about me but him. He was pretty old but very strong being over 47 when he adopted me. He taught me everything I know about how to be a great hunter and warrior like him."

She has warriors blood in her veins and thought highly of her father's blood. Very respectful. She continued continued and I listened.

"He was a Vietnam war veteran too. He joined when I was only eighteen years old in 1970 as a sniper and had great fighting skills from our ancestors. He was as tough as could be, but two years into the war he was injured in an attack that cost him his ability to have children."

How awful.

"He told me that he felt like a disgrace for a long time until my father was born in 1982 but became like a father to him when there parents died. My uncle Brian called me and my father his redemption for having no children of his own. He treated me like a daughter when my father died. I miss him."

For whatever reason, talking for her made her happy. It had a similar effect on me.

"What became of your uncle?"

She paused for a few seconds until she spoke again.

"He died a hero protecting many lives from being taken by bad bloods a you call them. He stopped an armed bank robbery but got shot. I saw everything. I was just fourteen. I miss him too."

She became quiet and still. This female suffered so much in such a short life. No wonder she was alone and did not speak. To speak of such trauma is hard for any steadfast Yautja to bear at a young age. She was a true warrior.

"He died honorably."

As I said this, my heart began to pound again so I needed to take my focus from her. But when she spoke again, her words stuck into me like her arrows.

"Nothing hurts more than being alone and unwanted."

She understood my soul's pain. How could she? She is not my species, not my kind, yet she connected to me like no other. I can't focus anymore on anything except her. What is she doing to me. I need to pull away from her.

"We need to keep moving Artemis. Come."

She didn't argue. She was calmer now even though she spoke of great pain. I will never understand how females work.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Catch

Chapter Fourteen: Catch

 _3:30, a.m. November 13_

We walked for only one of this planets hours. I did not notice how much of the planets time has passed during my past communication with the female, Artemis. She possesses a strange name that bears no meaning in my kinds language. To my ears, it sound nonsensical. Her name must be meant for a warrior or has a strong meaning behind it by how much pride she carried in it. I wish to know the meaning behind her name. But if I do ask, she will again ask the meaning of my name and I do not want her or any other ooman to know. It is a name of shame given to me by my father and mother for being weak and sickly as a suckling. I hate my name, but I must keep it. I have no other name and an Yautja cannot rename himself, he must be renamed by either his family or clan. Nobody will ever rename me though. I am trapped with my despicable name until death. I have always been seen as the weakest of my fathers children. I am the youngest and the smallest of my endless amounts of brothers and sisters from my fathers many, many, many mates and the fourth of my fathers only four sons. My brothers were all larger and stronger than me, but arrogance, blinding pride and the black demons from their past _kiande amedha chiva_ killed two of my brothers and my only surviving brother is a dishonorable bad-blood for the crime of letting a fellow hunter parrish and stealing the hunters trophy. That kind of disgraceful act is intolerable and is punishable by death if he is ever caught. Once he is finally caught and tried for his crimes against the clan, my father's honor will be restored to his name from having his bad-blood son properly executed by the clan by which my father leads.

Even though I have survived my _kiande amedha chiva_ with my intelligence a well as my strength and follow all of the codes of honor from our ancestors, I will still be seen as weak by my father and my fellow clan members. I hunt as well a any other hunter, but I prefer to watch and study my prey rather than kill my prey. Prey, to me, i more interesting to observe than to kill; especially oomans. Oomans are fascinating for their abilities to adapt to any terrain and their vast amount of cultures and languages. My lack of trophies and kills, however, makes me a target of ridicule by my father and the clan. The clan sees this as a sign of weakness and lack of skill. Killing is not hard for me at all. Killing those dishonorable hunters who not only killed the deer that was with child but also attempted to attack Artemis were too easy to vanquish, It only took a short while to kill them all. Males attacking their own females for pleasure deserves such a death. If my kind saw those kills with their own eyes, they would not call me weak. However, if my kind saw how I have submitted myself to the assistance of a small female ooman, the mockery would be endless. All the more reason to make haste out of this place of death. For another ten of the planet minutes, I walked beside the female. Her mood has now become more calm around me now, yet she still held her arms to her sides so as to avoid touching me. She was less hostile towards me after our past communication. She no longer looked in physical pain though I highly doubt she isn't in pain anymore. I noticed the blood she lost. It dried and crusted on her clothes and there was so much of it. She might need medical assistance after we leave this place. Even though she was in pain, she was quiet and calm Her quietness and calm mood was more convenient than her constant need to attack me verbally. This shall move us farther toward our goal, hopefully.

"How long before we reach this end Artemis?"

After our conversation, I was more open to communicating more with the female. She was also friendlier in her responses toward my questions as we spoke.

"Well, if we keep moving to this pace without any mishaps, probably another twenty four hours or so. If I had my cave equipment, it would be much faster."

She truly has experience in these caverns from pat exploration. That experience is keeping u both alive. Her clear liquid and her dried meat was also keeping us alive. She is a prepared individual and I have the out most respect toward her for that. I just hope she had enough nourishment to hold us both over until we reach the end of this death hole.

"Do you have anymore of that clear liquid in your bag?"

After I asked her, she swiftly pulled her bag off of her back. She pulled out and handed me the strange clear container filled with the liquid. The liquid is cleaner than our liquids and did not glow like our liquids. It does, however, lack any protein unlike our own liquids and is less nourishing compared to our liquids. It is better than going thirsty and the female is gracious in sharing her liquid.

"Thank you Artemis."

She smiled and nodded her head toward me.

"You're welcome Dha-viath."

She said my name right, though I wished it meant something else. Her smiles are so strange and yet so alluring at the same time. My kind cannot smile, but seeing her smile is pleasant; more pleasant than her taunts and her yelling. She is a brave little warrior for having the strength to yell and taunt an Yautja who could tear her to pieces. Even if I made no blood oath to not harm her, I still would not harm her for that bravery. For another twenty of this planets minutes, we moved swiftly through every turn and passages of the caverns. It seemed endless. Artemis remained quiet the whole time while she looked at her clenching her fists and spreading her fingers out. She looked as if she was trying to solve a problem in her mind. I might have been the problem she was trying to solve. After our communication, I wanted to know what was going through her mind.

"What troubles you Artemis?"

She snapped out of her thoughts a if she had been awoken from a deep sleep. She looked up to me with wide eyes. She looked shocked by my question. Then she started to look around as if she needed to physically seek the word to say to me. What was it that was so hard for her to say? Everything she said before was easy when she was screaming at me before. Now, she was lost for words.

"What . . . what did you do with the hunters bodies after you killed them?"

The question was blurted out quickly, but I understood what she said.

"I disposed of them properly along with any evidence of the hunt. I am very particular about not leaving any evidence. Why does this concern you?"

I tilted my head in confusion, Why was her question so hard to ask? "

Because . . . I wasn't believed in by the deputies, the law keepers about you killing those hunters. They called me a liar because of you. They wouldn't listen or try to stop you"

Now I understood why it was so hard to ask. She did not want another quarrel, yet she wanted to understand what happened that made those law keepers doubt her word. She was still upset but did not want a fight. Neither did I. I remember the two oomans, the male and female law keepers from before. She brought them to top me. he should have known better.

"They could not have stopped the hunt. Like I said before, Yautja are stronger and far more advanced than oomans and oomans . . ."

I dared not finish that sentence for I did not want to hear her yelling again in anger. So I changed the subject.

"My kind live to hunt for honor, we cannot fail in our hunts. To be caught or killed would be failure and dishonorable, as is having witnesses."

She looked down at her feet. "That's why you attacked us." he took a breath and looked up again. "If I help you out of here, will you kill more people like Janet?"

I was taken aback by her question and did not know how to respond. Then a question arose into my own mind. "

Who is this Janet?"

Her face became serious.

"She was the female law keeper you killed when Dante and I fled."

She believed I killed that female law keeper.

"I would never take the life of female pray with child. It is dishonorable Artemis."

Her mouth hung open from my response.

"Wait, what do you mean with child?"

She is not understand.

"That female law keeper is with child. I did not harm her, she lives."

She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Oh, thank God!"

To what god did she thank? Ooman have too many gods to name. Too many gods to keep track of.

I started to walk forward hoping she would as well. he did. Then I poke again.

"Once we are free of this place, I shall depart from this planet and report to my father and clan. I have been here too long."

She paused for a second in disbelief. Did she not wish for me to go? No. Ridiculous. Why would she want me to stay after the Hell I had put her through for the last three days? Why would she want you to stay after the death I made her see? Why would she want me to stay when I tried to kill her? She wants nothing to do with me and I have to depart from her anyways. She would be free of me forever. She is just another ooman. Oomans are too weak. Oomans become too susceptible to diseases. Oomans age far too fast and live far too short a life. She is just a ooman. She is just another ooman. She is just another ooman.

She walked forward and began to speak.

"Well, I guess that's . . . "

We both did not notice the dropping slope into a deep dark tunnel. Her left foot missed its mark and she slipped down forward into the deep, slide like tunnel on the left side of the cavern wall. "ARTEMIS!

Time seemed to move slowly around me as she fell. I moved as fast a I could trying not to hit the tunnel walls. Now time was moving too fast. I cannot remember a time when I was so fast objects blurred past me. At the end of the tunnel, I managed to catch her by her right arm before we both almost fell into a deep pit hole. I dug my claw into the top of the pit to stop our descent. Artemis let out a faint yelp but did not scream. The pit was over fifty feet deep and fifteen feet across. An Yautja would have broken an arm or a leg at this height. It could have killed Artemis if I did not reach her in time. I will not let her die. I will not let that happen.

I slowly pulled her up as gently as I could and placed her arms around my neck so she could hang onto my back. She held on as I climbed out of the pit and out of the tunnel. When we were both out and safe, I lowered myself and placed her on her feet. Then I spoke.

"You were correct about this place being deadly if you take a wrong step."

After I said that, She began to laugh uncontrollably. What was the matter with her? She almost died just now and she is laughing? Maybe it was because it was to relieve the fear besides screaming. After a while, she finally stopped laughing and moved forward as if nothing had happened. Then she said something that stunned my brain.

"Well then, I will be better careful from now on then."

Females.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Conflicted

_Sorry for the long wait, midterms are hard._

Chapter Fifteen: Conflictions

 _4:30, a.m. November 13_

I couldn't believe what just happened in just a few short hours. My situation with the alien hunter has changed from hating his guts for trying to kill me to being thankful to him for saving me from breaking my neck in the pit. My mind and emotions about the alien are very conflicted at this point. I don't know what to think or feel about him anymore. Everything seems too confusing now. I don't know what was true or false anymore. Everything inside of me had no idea about what to do about Dha-viath. I still feel weird about calling him that. I think he hates his name. I wonder why he hates it. I don't know anything about him except he's not human. I'm so conflicted now. He's a complete mystery to me. With his face covered up by his metal mask, I couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling. Then again, his face is so inhuman, I wouldn't be able to tell. It was ugly to me. Though maybe, I was ugly to him with my bulbous nose and large lips. Maybe where he comes from his face is incredibly handsome. Maybe on his planet he's some kind of Adonis and has a line of females throwing themselves at his feet. He might be a sex god where he comes from and I wouldn't know it because he looks too different to me. He probably think I'm too ugly to even look at. What would a alien man like that want with an ugly human girl? I don't know why I'm even worried about what he's like on his planet or if I'm ugly to him. It might have to do with him saving me from the pit and carrying me up the tunnel on his back. He seemed to care about my well being a little too much while he made sure I wasn't hurt. He screamed my name as I slid down the tunnel. He held me gently too as he placed my arms around his neck. It made me think that maybe he cared about me more than he should. I'm trying not to read too much into it. After all, he needs me alive to get out of this death hole. He's also an alien hunter who preys off of humans like me. He was hunting me not too long ago and sees me as a lesser creature compared to his kind. Before, I was just prey. Now, I'm probably more like a pet or work animal to him. It's better than being prey. It's not like I want him like a boyfriend. He's an alien hunter who will just leave me all alone after we escape the cavern and will want nothing to do with me ever again. He doesn't want me in a romantic kind of way, nobody wants me that way and nobody ever will. It's pointless to even think about such stupid thoughts about a alien. What is wrong with me. I need to focus. As I was pulling out of my thoughts and returned it to the task at hand, I realized we had a very serious problem. With everything that was happening, I forgot that there was a deep and giant pool of freezing cold water that sat in between us and the passage way we needed to go into to get out of the caverns. There was no other way out and there was no way around the forty foot long pool. the only way to the other side was to swim across. The bottom of the pool was smooth enough to slip if you don't watch your step but also had stalagmites underneath the water to impale you. I remember when I was growing up coming to this pool with Uncle Brian and swimming in it during the summer. The water was perfect when the weather was over ninety degrees high, but in the middle of winter and the water is below freezing, it could be a death sentence to swim because of hypothermia. "This was bad."

On top of that, going into freezing cold water fully clothed would be even worse. It could slow me down and make me go into shock or die. I have no choice but to take my clothes off in order to make it across. I also couldn't get my wounds wet. The water might ruin the bangaging and I don't have enough to cover them up again. What made that thought even worse was the fact that a guy alien was standing right next to me. Undressing in front of him is absolutely mortifying. Now I'm hoping he doesn't see me as attractive.

I stood at the bank of the pool. The alien stood right next to me on my left.

"What troubles you Artemis?"

I crossed my arms as I looked up to him.

"We have a slight problem, the only way out of this place is across this pool. It's below freezing and there's no way around it. I can't get my bandages wet or my clothes."

He looked back to the pool and made that weird clicking noise again. He's thinking I guess. I took a deep breath and I took off my white snow hat and torn grey coat. As I did so, He turned his full attention back to me.

"What are you doing?"

I hate this part right here.

"Please don't look, turn around."

He tilted his head at me in confusion.

"Why can I not look?"

This is so embarrassing

"I can't swim in my clothes, They'll be too heavy if they get wet and it's too cold to be wet. If I don't . . . undress to swim, I could catch hypothermia. I don't want you watching me undress."

He stared at me for the longest time after I said that. Then he turned his attention back to the water and made that clicking noise again. I guess he's making a decision. Is it really hard to decide not to look or not look at a girl undressing? what was he thinking? It didn't take me that long to find out a I found myself in his huge arms. He was holding me bridal style. Nobody has ever held me like this a day in my life. It was so unsettling. I was completely at his mercy this way. I know he won't hurt me but I still didn't like his hands on my body.

"Hey! Put me down now! What are you doing?"

I tried to make him put me down by squirming and shouting in his face, but he held me so tight I couldn't move. He moved toward the water and began to wade across. I had no choice but to hold onto his neck. I held it tightly squeezing a few of his weird dreadlocks. He growled as I did so. "Do not squeeze my tendrils, they are sensitive to touch."

I moved my arms under his tendrils to hold only his neck.

"Stay on the sides, it's deeper in the middle."

He nodded hi head to me. The deepest part of the pool was ten feet deep while the edges were only five feet deep. He was over seven foot tall so walking near the edges would make the water only come up to his middle torso. I still couldn't believe he was carrying me over the water. I guess he didn't want me to undress in front of him or something. He held the glowing orb in his right hand to see where he was going. He tuck to the edge of the pool like I said to do. It would take a little longer but it's harder to swim and carry me at the same time. I couldn't help but notice how cold his skin was. It was cold before he got into the water but it was getting colder by the minute and he was shivering.

"Are you OK?"

I was worried he might be more prone to the cold than I was.

"My power to my warming unit is malfunctioning. I am fine though."

I want to believe him. It will take about ten minutes to get across and it might kill him before we make it. He was shivering more as time went on. His body was getting colder. I don't know anything about his biology but I can tell his kind weren't built for the cold. I guess that weird metal mesh around his body was his warming unit. I think his kind are mostly cold blooded and needs an outside heating system to keep warm. His kind might be more suited to hot, humid places. If he came during last summer, he would've been in paradise. It's always hot and humid in Missouri during summer. The water was up to his upper abdominal area so I lifted my legs up to stay dry. I was basically a ball in his arms. He made sure I wasn't wet by holding me higher in his arms.. He was getting worse.

"We need to get you out of the water before you collapse. hurry up."

I don't know why I was so worried about his safety so much. It's not like I care about him. After all, he tried to kill me in the past three days. So why am I worried about his health? What's wrong with me?

"It's because you're so fucking lonely, you freak."

My inner voice was back, and I had enough of it. I was screaming in my head with rage.

"JUST FUCKING SHUT UP FOR ONCE!"

After ten minutes of wading through the bitter cold water, we finally reached the other side. He didn't lose his step or trip and I was completely dry. He placed me onto the dry bank of the pool. I turned to face him

"OK, now get out and dry off before you catch your death."

Before he could react, he slipped and fell backwards into the water. I tried to grab him but missed. It wouldn't do anything but pull me in too. He stayed under for only two seconds and then came up roaring. Blue lightning bolts covered his whole body and his wrist device was making sizzling noises like a broken computer. If it wasn't broken before, it was broken now.

He crawled fast out of the water moving past me on his hands and knees. He was heaving hard and couldn't stop shivering. I didn't know what to do for him. He's not human. He can't even stand up. When he tried to stand, he fell face first into the hard rock floor of the cavern. He needs to dry off or he'll die. But can I save him, should I save him? I knelt over him trying to figure out what to do for him. He didn't get up, he passed out from the shock of the water. He was lying on his chest and He was barely breathing. This intergalactic killing machine has just bee bested by cold water. He wasn't moving at all. He was half dead. As he lay motionless on the ground, I started to fight my inner self about what to do about him. I curled up into a ball holding my knees to my chest and began to rock back and forth on the balls of my feet.

"I should leave him here to die. He won't kill anybody ever again."

"I shouldn't leave him here to die, he saved my life from the dishonorable hunters."

"I should kill him now, He's defenseless. He's a murdering alien."

"I shouldn't kill him. It's dishonorable when he swore to not hurt me. He saved my life from the pit"

"He should die, he's not human."

"He shouldn't die, he listens to me and protects me. I care about him. Why?"

"Because you're lonely, Artemis."

For once, my inner voice didn't insult me. This was new to me

"I'm so conflicted about what to do. What should I do now? What should I do?"


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Choice

_Sorry for the wait, exams, essays, all that school work._

Chapter Sixteen: Choice

 _5:00, a.m. November 13_

I've been at war with my inner voice about what to do about what to do with the alien for ten minutes now. I'm so conflicted over whether or not I should leave him here to die. Save his life after the way he saved mine or take his life to make sure he doesn't kill anybody again. This was the hardest choice I've ever had to make. The rational part of me is shouting at me to either leave his sorry butt to die or to kill him on the pot and get out of the caverns afterwords. The more moral and caring side of myself, on the other hand, is screaming louder to save his life. After all, he only killed people who were murderers or dishonorable scumbags. He even spared the life of Janet because she was pregnant and took a blood oath to not kill or harm me. Not to mention he saved me from the pit and carried across the pool even though it led to him going into hypothermia. He was lying on the ground half dead because he protected me from freezing from the deadly cold water. This was more than just keeping me alive to get out of the caverns, the way he protects me falls more on almost caring about me. I know it sounds stupid, but I truly believe he cares about me. I don't know to what extent but I know he does. I care about him too. This was beyond crazy but I care about his life. I don't want him to die, especially not after him not only saving my life but understanding my warrior heart and fighting spirit like no other did. I've only known him for barely a day and yet I feel emotionally more connected to this alien; this being, than I have been with any other human person in over four years. Being alone for so long and being trapped with only one soul as your company can do that to a person I guess.

I've been crouching on the balls of my feet with my knees to my chest and my arms around my legs while rocking back and forth trying to make a decision. I held the glowing orb in my hands now, it's the only light in this deathly dark tunnel. I sat on the right side of the tunnel only a few feet from him. I have a chance to run but I can't' make myself move. He is lying face down on the smooth tunnel floor not moving a muscle. He was looking really bad at this point. If I don't make a decision now, he'll just suffer to death. This was torture not only for him but also for me. Seeing him defenseless like this was like a few days before in the woods with the dying pregnant deer, except I can save him. After what seemed like an eternity, The caring part of me finally won the internal war and I chose to save his life. I'm so sick and tired of all this death happening around me. I want life to be the victor in this world of death. I might be a hunter and a warrior, but I'm not a murderer. I owe this hunter my life after all. I stood up and rushed over to his almost lifeless form. I leaned down over the right side of his body. Lying on his stomach and with his body facing my direction though, I was it was really the left side of his body. I placed the orb on the ground so that I could get a better look at how bad his condition was. He was barely breathing and motionless. As I checked the pulse on the left side of his neck, I couldn't help but shudder at how ice cold his lizard like skin was. He was dripping wet as well, adding to the coldness of his skin. His armor dripped water still even though he came out of the pool only ten minutes ago. His armor was basically useless for keeping him dry and would be too hard to dry him off with it on. I have to take it off. Awkward situation for me, isn't it? Using as much strength I had in my body, I shoved his body over to get him on his back to make removing his armor and drying him easier. His body made a huge thud when it hit the floor. This guy was beyond heavy. He must be over three hundred and fifty pounds, maybe even more. With me being only one hundred and forty five pounds compared to him, I looked like a bonsai tree to his oak tree. I'm puny to his size. After an aggravating time of trying to figure out how his armor came off, I finally found the unlocking mechanisms on his metal plate and tore them from his body with ease. I even managed to remove his metal net mesh as well once I found the right latches to unlock. The only piece of armor I left on him was his metal groin cup underneath his loincloth. I really didn't want to see that aria of his body, but from what I could tell from the mere size, he was blessed. I'm not comfortable with any of this at all. I never undressed a man or even seen a guy naked in my life before. The thought of it terrifies me. I don't want to see this alien naked; I don't want to see any guy naked just yet, not until I'm married . . . if I ever get that lucky. I moved up to his head and removed his metal mask. I still shiver at the sight of his crab like face. I am, however, getting used to his face to the point of not calling it ugly. In a way, it was fascinating to look at. The diamond patterns and the different shades of green were almost pretty. His face claws twitching by themselves and his sharp fangs still creep me out. His face barely moved without his free will.

"I'm saving your life, so don't get any ideas like dying on me. Got it alien?"

I didn't get a response. Talking to them though does help in trying to wake up somebody suffering with hypothermia. I took my ripped gray coat and began drying his body off. When I was done drying him off, I took off my gloves and began rubbing them up and down his body to get his blood flowing to his heart. I started with the middle of his chest while rhythmically sliding them up and down his brawny arms. His chest was lined with spike like hair that went down to his naval. I sat on top of his lower stomach to have better contact in warming his icy body. Nothing about this was sexual or anything, I'm just trying to save his life to my best ability. Even with this being true, I couldn't stop the blood from going to my cheeks or my heart from pounding like a drum. Even with his strange alien face and features, he was somewhat memorizing to stare at. He was captivating by his strength and size.

"Don't think I'm trying anything with you. I'm just trying to get your blood flowing correctly through your body. Not that you can hear me Macho."

I know he doesn't like that name, but his real name feels wrong to say for some reason and "Macho" feels right. For some reason, I feel as if his birth name is some kind of an insult or evil slur. Even though I meant for "Macho" to be an insult the first time, calling him that now was more of a compliment to his size and power. Touching his skin was strange too. It was tough with the muscles underneath but it was also very soft and smooth to the touch like a frog's skin. His skin was warmer now. Not only that, my skin was starting to feel like it could burn from all of this touching and caressing. My whole body felt like it could melt ice.

"What's the matter with you? He's an alien. Pull yourself together!"

My inner voice kept yelling at me to stop thinking about him. I shook my head of any thoughts about his body to solely focus on saving his life. To better focus myself to my task, I removed myself from his torso to his head. I lifted his head up to place it on top of my lap. I made sure not to crush his dreadlocks, he said they were sensitive to touch. I started to pinch them lightly to see if it would wake him. He growled low in hi throat, but he didn't wake. I then started rubbing my burning hands over the cheek of his face to warm it up too. I couldn't help myself but played around with his face claws. They were harp to the touch and easy to manipulate. He didn't wake up still but he responded lightly to my touch.

"You have to be the strangest thing I've ever seen in my life. I don't get you at all. You came out of nowhere and affected my life in a way like no other. You make me want you to live and I don't know how or why. I don't know what's real or fake anymore. I don't understand anything anymore, especially not you. What is it about you that I feel connected to you?"

I got no answer, just breathing noises. At least he's breathing right. He's still not waking up.

"Don't give up on me Macho, I know you hate losing from the way you hunted me down before!"

I was yelling in his face to try to get him to wake up now. It didn't work so I tried another approach.

"You're a warrior right? Act like it and fight off death. Don't be a wimp you giant wussy!" Insulting him didn't do it either.

"I know you can beat this, don't let a little cold weather kick you butt. Keep fighting!"

I have no other options about waking him up except to just keep talking to him and keeping him warm. His body was responding more to my touch but he was still out cold. He started to shiver after two hours of me rubbing him raw to warm him. Shivering meant he was trying to maintain his own body heat now. It felt so strange to touch his body for so long. To feel his skin and every muscle in his body, to hold him close to my own body, it felt foreign to me. I never really did anything like this. not even with my ex boyfriend. This was all new to me. I'm so affected by this hunter but I don't know why. I've been trying so hard to wake this guy up by talking to him and making sure he was breathing right for hours now. I'm so close to collapsing myself. I haven't slept for over twenty four hours now and I'm losing focus. To keep myself awake, I shook my head violently and went on with my life saving task. I also focus on the pain in my side in order to keep me from falling asleep, but so far; the pain is barely even a sting due to how tired I was. I lay his head back down on the ground so I could check his heartbeat. I closed my eyes and I lay my right ear to his chest and listened to his heart. It beat in rhythm but was still slightly slow. It was calming and like a lullaby to me. I tried to get up but I didn't have the strength anymore. Before I knew it, I passed out from exhaustion.


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Savior

Chapter seventeen: Savior

 _2:00, p.m. November 13_

This is it. I have entered into the sleep near death. Everything is pitch black as the skin of the _kiande_ _amedha._ I am just floating in an ocean of darkness. Everything is cold around my body. I cannot feel anything but the cold and the pull of my soul moving closer to the embrace of the final rest. I know it is my end, I know that the pull of _Cetanu's_ grasp is on my life force. The god of death is too strong for me to resist. There is no hope for me, no hope at all. My father was right about how weak I was. I have not proven myself a true warrior after all and deserve my fate to die in this dreadful place on this backwater planet. I have disappointed my whole bloodline and my father no longer will have sons to pass his name down. There is no point to try now.

 _"I'm saving your life, so don't get any ideas like dying on me. Got it alien?"_

The strange, soft voice that spoke in the darkness suddenly stopped everything; even the cold. It was Artemis, the ooman girl with me in the caverns. That was her voice. Her voice echoed in the darkness and seemed untraceable, but I knew she was there with me; I just do not know where. I could feel warmth now returning to my essence after hearing her voice. To know she was trying to save me managed to provoke the want to live inside of my soul. I do not know how she provoked such a want or why she was even trying to save me, I am just thankful that she was even there for me in the dark; even though I cannot see or locate her in the vast darkness. She sounds so close though, I am sure she is near for me to find. Then I heard her speak again.

 _"Don't think I'm trying anything with you, I'm just trying to get your blood flowing correctly through your body. Not that you can hear me Macho."_

She has called me by that strange ooman name again. She has used that name in the past to insult me and that is how I took it; as an insult. Though this time, she said the name different somehow, more respectful and softer in tone. Almost to the point of sounding kind; a concept not well used by my species. For some reason, the name she has given me is more appealing to hear than my given name from my father. The way she said that name and knowing she was working to bring me to life brought more warmth to my soul. The more she spoke to me in the dark, the warmer my body felt. This must be her way of saving me, but what did she mean by she was not trying anything with me? I do not understand nor do I care. I am more focused on just finding where her voice was coming from. I cannot speak or communicate with her, My mouth cannot open to speak for some reason and it is too dark to get her attention with my bodies movement. I cannot even reach out to grab her or anything around me. There is nothing to feel. I can, however, feel my being pulling away from Cetanu's death grasp. His grip is strong though, maybe too strong to completely be freed from.

 _"You have to be the strangest thing I've ever seen in my life. I don't get you at all. You come out of nowhere and affected my life in a way like no other. You make me want you to live and I don't know why. I don't know what's real or fake anymore. I don't know anything anymore, especially not you. What is it about you that I feel connected to?"_

Her words are so powerful to me. Her words struck my heart and my mind like nothing I have ever known. She feels connected to me somehow, I feel the same way about her. She doesn't know what is real and what it false, I feel the same way about my existence. She says I affect her life like no other, I feel the same way about her. Nothing like this girl has ever existed. She is so brave and effective in battle, she is clever to no end, and above all, she is unbelievably kind. She has offered her food, her liquid and her service to me. She is at my side to save my life when she could have left me to die and save herself from this nightmare of a cavern. If she was an Yautja, she would have finished me off and claimed my head as a trophy, but she chose mercy over honor; a ooman concept unfathomable to my kind. She truly is unlike anything I have ever known.

 _"Don't give up on me Macho. I know you hate losing from the way you hunted me from before."_

Her voice and her words gave me so much strength to pull from death's grasp. I can feel myself slowly move in the darkness now, with every word she spoke and with the warmer my body felt from her voice, I feel my entire being becoming stronger and moving faster through the dark. Even with all of this strength and speed though, I still cannot find the girl. I am beginning to lose heart in finding my way out of here or Artemis.

 _"You're a warrior right? Act like it and fight off death. Don't be a wimp you giant wussy."_

Those words were different from before. Her tone was harsher and louder this time. She was threatening me not to surrender. I recognize this tone anywhere. My teachers would used this tone with me when I was very young to strengthen me for my future hunts as an honored warrior. The way she threatened me to fight though was still so kind. She was pushing me to live and I felt no ill will to her harsh tone or her insults. Everything she said has hit my core with such a great force. She want me to survive and I will not surrender. I will fight. I'm rushing through the darkness now. I feel as if I am ablaze with strength to escape Centanu and his realm of death. Suddenly, I can see a shimmer of light in the corner of my eye. That was the direction of her voice, it is so loud now as I move closer to the light. I feel myself running toward the light and her voice. I tend to find her and prove to her that I have defeated death. I am closer to the light now, it is so bright and blinding the closer I get. Artemis sounds so close, she could be right next to me. When I finally reached my destination, I found myself back in the living world. I can see everything around me again. I could see again. I could see that I was lying on my back facing the ceiling of the cave I was trapped in. I was not on my back before, I remember crawling on my knees and collapsing downward. How did my body turn around on my back? I could not have done it on my own.

"By the gods."

I let out a groggy moan and lifted my right hand to my face to focus my thoughts. I feel so bewildered by the situation. As I touched my face, I realized My mask was gone. I need my mask not only to see but to also breathe properly. why was it taken off?

"What happened?"

As I began to move slowly to search for my mask, I noticed a small pressure on the left side of my chest. It was warm to the touch. I looked down to see what it was. It was Artemis, she was sound asleep with her left arm stretched across my top torso and her small figure nestled in between my arm and chest. Her head was lying on top of my heart. She was barely making any noise as she breathed in her sleep. My eyes are wide with shock. I could not believe this, the ooman was lying in my arms asleep and I was holding her tightly with left arm subconsciously. She must have tired herself while she was turning my body over and warming my body with her own. She must have passed out during the task and I unknowingly wrapped my arm around her. By the gods, I was holding her. Why did I do such a thing as to hold her? To stay warm in my sleep near death? No, it was not that. What was it then? No time to worry about that now. I am more worried about where my mask was, and my armor for that matter. She must have removed my armor and mask to properly warm me up. No need for that now. I need to reattach it as soon as possible in order to escape this place. I slowly lifted my body into a seated position to diagnose the situation better. As I rose, I managed to re position Artemis as to not wake her. For some reason, it was somewhat fascinating to watch her peacefully sleep as if nothing is wrong. he is calmer in this state and I prefer calm. She was now upright with her right side of her body pressed up against my chest. I held her gently close as to not drop her on the hard rock floor. I did not, however, manage to hold up her head properly and it suddenly bent backwards hitting my wrist blade cuff hard. This jolted her awake with such a shock. Her eyes were shot open with confusion as my eyes were not too long ago. Even without my mask, I could see her shocked expression clearly. She stared up at me with her wide eyes in utter shock. he then noticed my arms around her body and she began to forcefully wiggle her way out of my grasp. As I let her go, she landed on her backside and quickly began to crawl backwards away from me. She finally topped when she almost fell into the water of the pool and then curled up next to the left side of the passage wall facing in my direction. She continued to stare in shock at me, I did the same to her. I was in shock of what happened. I do not know exactly what happened during my sleep near death, all I know is that she has saved my life from Centanu's clutch on it. She has repaid her life dept to me from the pit I saved her from breaking her neck in earlier in our journey. She has saved my life and more importantly, she has gained my complete respect for her. By the gods and the fallen warriors of the past, this small ooman girl is my savior. I stood up and began the task of reattaching my armor and my heating unit mesh to my body. Artemis still sat where she crawled to and was holding her knees to her prominent yet heavily covered breasts. She was now staring into the dark pool. She was trying to not look at me and avoid eye contact, probably to hide the embarrassment of waking up in my arms. I was not ready to bring that up myself, I was rather embarrassed from the situation as well and avoided looking at her too. As I finished reattaching my armor and mask, I turned to her, trying to think of something to say to her. She is my savior, she picked mercy over honor killing me when she saved my life. A simple thank you was not enough to say to this woman. I cannot share in words alone how much her willingness to save my life has impressed and shocked me to my core. What should I say; what should I do to show her my thanks? Then I remembered our first conversation and the question I did not wish to answer.

"Disaster."

She finally looked up at me with confusion written on her face.

"What?"

She does not understand.

"Before, you had asked me what my name even means. It means 'disaster.' I was given this name for that was how my father sees me."

When I told her this, her face turned from confusion to disgust. Her mouth was wide open and she shook her head.

"Not to seem rude or anything, but that's a horrible thing to name anybody. You should change it."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Why are you telling me this, by the way?"

I tilted my head in respect to her.

"I am telling you this because you have saved me from being claimed by Centanu and stayed by my side when others would have not."

I slowly walked over to her and knelt on my left knee to face her directly. I pulled out my most prized weapon; my retractable spear, and held it out to her in my right hand. I pushed the unlocking mechanism to make the spear longer. She jolted but remained calm. This ooman woman has earned my complete trust and friendship. This was my thanks to her as well as a covenant to our friendship for this is near impossible for an ooman to earn.

"Take it, Artemis."

She covered her mouth with her hands in response to my gift of trust to her. I can see in her eyes she understood what I was trying to sat without words. She is truly an honorable hunter and warrior who deserves any Yautja praise. She looked down at the spear in disbelief. Then, she rose effortlessly off the ground and gracefully stood up straight. She graciously accepted my gift to her.

"Thank you, it's beautiful Dha . . . "

She looked down at her feet and breathed deeply. She looked back at me and began to speak again.

"Is it OK if I just call you Macho? It's not really an insult, it's actually a proud name. I was just making fun of you before. Sorry, I just can't call you 'disaster' anymore."

I stood tall at this statement. A new name to replace my insult of a label is an answer to my prayers. By Lil-ka, the great mother goddess Lil-ka, bless this woman's soul.

"As you wish, Artemis."

I bowed my head and crossed my left arm in acceptance of the new name.

"What does 'Macho' mean, by the way?"

She smiled at my question.

"Strong and proud."

I like it. Now I can ask what her name means.

"What does your name mean?"

She continued to smile.

"Vigorous and energetic. I was named after the goddess of the hunt."

It was perfect for her. A name for a goddess should be worn with pride, she wore it with her head held high. I can now do the same with my new name. Then I remembered, we're still trapped in the caverns. We need to move now.

"We should be moving now, are you ready to go Artemis?"

She raised her index finger up.

"One minute please."

She ran over to the pool and pulled out her empty bottles from her pack. She was filling them back up for later, very wise. When she was done, she covered her body back up with her torn garment, covered up her hand with her mittens and placed her hat back on her head.

"Are you Ready?"

She positioned her pack on her left shoulder and began to walk forward.

"Ready."

We began walking again. We were both relaxed in each others companies now that we are not just allies anymore but real friends. So strange how this ooman woman has went from prey to platonic allie to trusted friend in barely any time at all. Extraordinary ooman.


	19. Chapter Eighteen: ManHunt

Chapter Eighteen: Manhunt

 _3:00, p.m. November 13_

In the fifteen years as a law enforcer and the five years as the sheriff of the town of Safe Haven. I've never seen nor heard of anything as strange or as terrifying as what I am seeing with my own eyes. Being in the woods where my deputies were attacked and seeing the carnage around me has made me question if this is just a maniac in a costume or not. Nothing like this has ever happened in this small community. Not only was the story of the recluse of a girl, Artemis Canmore, unbelievable, but also my most trusted and more logical deputy, Dante Rivera, was raving about a great monster who could make itself invisible and could blow up a car with a ray gun. Deputy Rivera, Deputy Jannet Smith and Miss Canmore left town at ten o'clock to investigate Canmore's claims of the killer. Only Rivera came back to town without the squad car at midnight last night. Ever since he came back to town on foot last night, he's been in a state of shock spouting about narrowly escaping from the creature with his life but Smith and Canmore were either lost or dead. At first, I just thought he was just too exhausted or drugged with something to take him seriously. Everything he described belonged in comic books and movies, not in real life. But standing here with my deputies and armed to the teeth with guns has made me think the movies and comic books might have become a little too real for me. When we first arrived on site, I couldn't believe my eyes. Rivera's account of the exploding car was real, There are claw marks and burned holes made by some ray weapon everywhere on the site. It was a full on war zone. There were even footprints from the killer that rivaled that of Bigfoot and were with claw tipped toes. Even in the darkness it was clear how serious the situation was. With Rivera and my three remaining deputies help, we managed to find Smith where Rivera said he was. She was barely alive and unconscious. We had to run her to the hospital to make sure if she would live. She was uninjured for the most part but far from being is still unconscious from the attack. She was out for too long in the cold and suffers from hypothermia and a small case of frostbite. Not to mention she is six weeks pregnant. If I'd known that part, I would have never sent her out there to be at the mercy of a psycho killer. I should have never sent anybody out there, I should have went instead. Canmore and Smith is in danger because of my stupid actions and I'm going to save her and this town. But now that We're here again in the light and clearly seeing the catastrophe around me, the fear of it all was truly sinking into me. Not only was a advanced killer on the loose, but also my finest deputies were almost killed and the life of a young girl was on the line if we didn't stop him; or it. How can I stop this thing at all? Can I stop this thing at all?

I turn to my four deputies with a stern look in my face

"Alright men. Remember, nobody goes anywhere alone and nobody going and being a hero out here. We're dealing with a psychopath out there so be smart and alert. Got it?"

They all answered at once.

"Yes Sir."

I nod my head to them.

"Good, now let's get moving."

I ushered my men to the direction of the tracks left behind by Canmore's truck. Once we found her truck where she crashed it into a tree, we searched around for any trace of the girl. One of my deputies found a strange disk embedded into the front right tire. It was smooth and light to the touch. Whoever or whatever this guy was, he was more advanced than we thought. leaning down on my knees examining the strange object in my hand send shivers up my spine. This was turning into a horror movie as well as a science-fiction movie by the minute.

"Alright men, let's get moving. The longer we wait, the longer this thing is out there."

"Where to sir?"

one of my deputies asked with slight hesitation.

"Rivera said she went east to a cave. That's where we're heading. Keep an eye out for anything to pinpoint her location, understand?"

"Yes sir."

I stood up from my leaning position to assess the surroundings jut to get a clue to where the girl was going. She seemed to just disappear into the air and wind itself. The only person who at least heard her say where she going was still too fatigued to be here on the mission. But at least he gave us enough information to find the truck and Smith. Rivera even told us what direction the girl ran in. After only a few minute of walking East, we came across a river bank about ten feet below our feet. The girl must have fallen by the imprints left on the wet soil and crossed the shallow river to get away from the killer. After we made it down to the river bank and crossed the river to the other side of the bank my youngest deputy; twenty two year old Jack Tanner, spotted some tracks from both Canmore and the killer. She was running with all her might by how widely spaced the footprints were from each other. The killers prints were more like a light sprint compared to hers but were on her heels. This thing was fast as well as huge. While following the tracks, Tanner came across a severed hunting bow lying on the ground. No doubt it was Canmore's. As he leaned down to pick it up, hi blue eyes went wide and his mouth dropped as if to hit to the ground.

"What is it Tanner?"

He turned to face me, still in a state of shock.

"You really need to see this."

I came over to him and couldn't help but gasp at the obliterated tree before my eyes. It was blown to bits with the same blast that destroyed the squad car earlier. I looked around me and found ray burns scattering the entire forest floor and other trees as well as rocks blown up into nothing but ash and dust. Scanning all the burns and blown apart forest arias, I found her tomahawk lying on the ground with this bright green glowing material splattered all over it. I places rubber gloves over my hands and picked the tomahawk up to begin examining it. What could this substance be? It can't be blood, can it? What creature has glowing green blood?

"Tanner, bring over a plastic bag and put this in can study it further at the station."

With shaking hands, he took the tomahawk and placed it in a large plastic bag. This was fucked up beyond belief. This girl was fighting with this thing to protect herself and it was hunting her no no end. She's still just a child and she's fighting a monster to save her own life. I couldn't stand this anymore. This thing tried to blow up this girl who didn't do anything wrong like she was target practice. It needs to be stopped and killed now, no matter what. I took off running in the direction of the girls tracks. My deputies followed suit. I kept on running for a very long time until I almost fell over the side of a giant rock cliff. It was about fifteen feet high. Looking down, we could see where the giant thing had fallen by the large crater in the ground. After finally catching my breath. I spoke to my men.

"Find a way down there safely. The girl might be down there too."

"Yes sir."

They said this in uni-some. After we found a safe way down the wall to the ground, We found the girls tracks again. They were heading north now. It took almost an hour of following these tracks before we finally reached the cave entrance. It was now 5:00, p.m. I pulled out my pistol from my holster, ready to shoot

"Be alert, we're going in"

Each of them had a pistol and a shot gun We also had our tasers. We were prepared to kill this monster. Stealthily, we walked into the caverns. The girl tracks were harder to track because the ground was just rock but there was enough dirt to leave prints on the ground.

"We'll follow the footprints so that we won't get lost, but don't wander off anywhere. We don't know where these passages go, this girl does."

I kept walking as I said this to my men.

"No problem with that sir."

Tanner said staying close to my back. He' still new to this job and was more scared than the rest of us. I don't blame him for that. I'm scared and I've been at this for many years. We only walked for a few minutes until a huge wall of fallen rock blocked our path. There was a massive cave in. There was no way around it. I fell on my knees screaming and shouting as many curses I knew and hitting the rock floor with all my strength. This was the worst thing possible to happen right now. We are so close to getting this monster and now we can't even get through this damn cave without moving these boulders out of the way. This was truly a nightmare turned real. I finally calmed myself after a minute of my breakdown. Tanner came behind me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"What do we do now sir?"

I stood on my knees ,just staring at the cave in, trying to think of something; anything to get through this madness. Was the girl under this mess/ Is she still alive or did she fall into the killers hands? Was that thing under there or was it alive still? No answer came to any of my questions. At this point I feel like a failure to not only Miss Canmore, but also to Safe Haven. I failed in my duty as sheriff to keep her safe by sending her to her possible doom at this monsters hands. I failed to stop this killing maniac from hospitalizing both of my finest deputies. I have to right my wrongs and save the girl; if he's still alive that is. The only way to do that is to move this blockage out of the way. However, my three deputies and I can't get through it without help. But who? Then the answer hit me.

"I know what to do."

I pulled out my cell phone and began to press the numbers.

"Who are you calling?"

Tanner asked, still holding his gun in a defensive mood.

"I have a friend in town who knows more about caves than anyone I know. He was a coal miner back in 1967 and knows a thing or two about cave ins. He can help us in clear this blockage." This was our only hope at this point. I know nothing about caves nor cave ins. But with help from a retired miner could possibly be this girls only hope along with my only hope to stop this monster

"You sure he can help us? With the snow storm coming in, we might not be able to do this in time."

"We don't have any choice Tanner, we need to stop this killer before anybody else gets hurt or killed."

My phone only rang twice before somebody picked up.

"Hello, this is Joe."

I was so exhilarated to hear Joe's voice.

"Joe, this is Sheriff Winston. We need your help."


	20. Chapter Nineteen: Blind

Chapter Nineteen: Blind

 _3:00, p.m. November 13._

It's so beautiful. The spear Macho gave me takes my breath away. The medal is smooth to the touch and the tips are shaped almost like the tops of Russian domes. The spear has such intricate design and yet it's deadly precise for the hunt. It barely has any weight to it. Holding it in my small hands feels as if it's a flimsy cosplay knock off. But it's far from flimsy. Even though it collapses with a press of a button, it's able to pass completely through solid stone and split it in two with just a single throw from my hands without breaking a sweat. It's as if the stone was just and egg shell. Such a powerful weapon that any proud warrior would covet for his own and it was given to a scrawny little kid like me by an intergalactic warrior of tremendous strength; at least he does to me. He gave it to me out of gratitude for saving his life and calls me his trusted friend. Strange how one day ago, I wanted him die and to rot in Hell for trying to kill me. Then the next day, I wanted him to live and he became probably my only friend I have. Am I that lonely that I call a space hunter my only friend? I'm not even scared to walk next to him or have him near me anymore. I feel safe with him now. How did something so terrifying turn into someone I bonded with and trust so fast? I'm so messed up for what I'm feeling right now, happy. I'm in the most dangerous situation of all time and I'm happy. I'm happy to have somebody to talk to again, I'm happy to share something so personal without fear, I'm happy to feel anything positive over feeling always negative after losing my family. I don't even feel the pain in my side anymore or care how dizzy I feel I'm that happy. I've never been truly happy since my Uncle Brian died four years ago and yet this alien; this person has managed to take some of that anger and sadness away by making me his friend. Macho did more for me in one day than anybody has in a long time and I'm so grateful for that. On top of feeling happy, I feel connected in a strange way to him. I think he knows the same struggles I'm going through like rejection and loneliness. I can see it in the way he spoke his own name and how he listened with a full heart to my misery filled life story. He seemed to understand my hurt and shared some of his hurt with me too. Maybe having me as a friend is doing more good for him than me. Then again, I don't know practically anything about his race or culture except they like to hunt other aliens. It might be considered weak to share anything personal, I thought so a few times myself. Maybe it's taboo to make friends with their own kind let alone with an alien outside their species like me.. I don't know and I don't know if he wants me to know. It' none of my business, Even though any other person in the world would push to know everything about this alien, I won't push. I do want to know more about him though. I don't feel scared to talk to him or ask him questions after we became friends. Both certainly sped up time walking in this deep dark tunnel. For the last hour though, he's been so quiet. He's been trying to fix his wrist contraption as we've been walking. Before it kept making beeping noises or shorting out every few minutes. Now it won't even turn on. By the way he smacks the cuffs in frustration and the low growls he makes under his throat, he's in no mood to talk. So I stay quiet. He stopped tampering for a minute to look down at me and speak to me.

"Now I understand How you felt As I stared at you for so long. uncomfortable. Will you please stop Artemis?"

I didn't even realize I was staring at him. So I pulled my eyes away from him to the direction we were walking. I held the glowing orb in front of me to see better.

"Sorry, just wanted to make sure everything's okay is all."

I said this nervously.

He returned to his tinkering.

"Everything is fine Artemis."

Even though he said it was fine, the frustration in his voice gave him away. I could tell something's wrong by how urgent he's been trying to start up his wrist devise. I could also tell something's wrong be how he staggered and slowed down in walking. He's been bumping into the walls and nearly tripping over loose rocks on the ground. There was more room in the tunnel for ten of him to walk through shoulder to shoulder, and yet he keeps hitting the outer walls.

"Macho, are you doing okay? You're not walking straight anymore."

He was irritated by my statement.

"I am just focused on my wrist computer, I am fine Artemis."

He dropped his arm down and rushed ahead to me to show me he's fine. The next moment, he tripped over a boulder the size of a mountain lion and knocked me down with him. How did he miss that, it was right in front of him and it wasn't even dark with the orb. Now the orb was shattered because I dropped it when Macho knocked me down. It was pitch black now. I wasn't hurt or scared, but I was surprised to be knocked down on my back. I managed to pull out my flashlight to see what happened. I shined the light on Macho and saw glowing green blood dripping from his left hand.

"MACHO!"

I rushed over to his left side and pulled out my first aid kit as fast as I could. I stopped his bleeding and bandaged his hand up with gauze. That was all I had to bandaged up but I was still worried he was hurt from the fall.

"Okay, that's it! There's something wrong with you. What's wrong?"

I demanded while trying to help him to sit up.

The humiliation of it all. I cannot believe I have done such a mock-able thing as to trip over a humongous rock right in front of me and to not see it. I managed to knock down my dear friend and slash my left hand as well. My clan would laugh their asses off by my weakness. She did no such thing as to laugh at my mistake. She came to my aid and wrapped my injured hand with a strange cloth strip. he worried over my well being. I have been so absorbed with my wrist computer that I have ignored Artemis and almost lost my temper with her when all she did was worry about me. I have been unfair as to be upset with her when all she has done is guide me through the tunnels and save me from death. She is so kind as to care for my wounds in such a gentle way and not be upset with me when she deserved to be. Oomans might be weak at times, but their concern for another creatures life is enough to stir even the hardest of our elder warriors hearts with astonishment. Maybe this is why oomans are so prized as both trophies to mount on a wall and honorable prey to protect. No other race of aliens can ever amaze or impress the Yautja the way oomans do. This ooman female has done more than impress me. She has done more for me in one day than any of my own kind ever has in my whole existence. Not only has she guided me through the tunnels and saved me from the sleep before death, she has also shown such great kindness to me than anybody I have ever known. She is strong willing and courageous and yet gentle and sweet in dealing with me. After watching and studying her for so long while relying on her guidance through this darkness, I now trust this brave soul with my life. I need her help more than ever now

"My vision has gone out of my heat detectors in my mask. The heat detectors have short circuited from the cold water along with my wrist computer."

I swallowed my pride to tell her of such weakness. I know I can trust her to not judge or think me useless. She placed her light cylinder on the ground to place both her hands on my shoulders to look me in the face.

"You can't see at all?"

I nodded my head yes.

"I see in heat only. Your heat signature is a blur to my heat detectors. I cannot track your position at all in this cold darkness. I cannot even see your light cylinder. My mask allows me to see heat signatures better but it has short circuited in the water."

I felt her left hand move to my mask lenses. I can barely make out her tiny hand at all. It was a scrambled, jumping mess of colors. It did not waver me from reaching out for it with my uninjured hand.

"I am close to blindness with my broken but without it, I will slowly suffocate from the planets atmosphere. Without my mask, all I can see i the color red."

She held my good hand with both of hers. I could not see her, but I could hear her voice and heartbeat perfectly. Her heart was beating so fast now. Her heart was beating with worry for my well being. Such a kind heart indeed. Her voice was so gentle when she spoke again.

"It's gonna be okay Macho. Just a few miles further and we're home free. You'll go back to your ship, fix your mask and wrist computer and . . . go home to your planet."

She paused as she spoke of my departure from this planet. I heard her heart skip a beat during the pause. It was as if my leaving this planet caused her distress. I thought my departure would please her. Was it not what she wanted when we began our alliance through the caverns together? Now she has shown hesitance of the idea. Does she want me to stay . . . with her? Nonsense. She does not me to stay here, he does not want me. That thought of rejection made my heart skip many beats at once. The thought of leaving her side causes me distress for my being. Why does this affect me so much? Why am I so torn over an ooman female I only just become to know as a friend a few hours ago, an ooman female I have been watching for three day but was captivated by on the first day? I know I have no place on this planet or Artemis.

"I must leave this planet soon."

Why did my heart stop in its tracks? Why did I pause when I said he can . . . Crap, I did it again. What's wrong with me? For some weird reason, I sort of don't want him to go. I sort of might miss him around. He's been by my side for over two day now. He's been keeping me safe, talking with me and . . . just being there when I needed him. I've forgotten what that's like after my uncle passed away. I guess without Macho. I'll be alone again. I hate being alone. It scares me now. I got used to being alone all the time when I lived with my snobby grandparents. I forgot how to care for other and myself because of my neglectful relatives. With Macho around, I don't feel alone anymore. I'm being selfish right now. He needs to go home. He said so himself. He can't breathe my planets air too long and he can't see at all. He's suffering and I'm just sitting here making it worse. I take his uninjured hand helped him up to hi feet. Then I placed his hand on my right shoulder.

"I got you Macho. Just keep your hand there and I'll lead the way for you."

This was the best for the both of us. Deep down though, I wish the cave was longer so this friendship could last a little longer. But I know better than to wish something so stupid and selfish. Once again, we walked forward to the end of our alliance and our bond ahead.


	21. Chapter Twenty: In

Chapter Twenty: In

 _3:15, p.m. November 13._

"My God, Sheriff, this must be the worst cave in I've ever come across."

The old man's raspy voice echoed through the darkness and cut through the bitter cold air and into a person's spirit like a knife. The miner known as Joe has been standing in front of the collapsed tunnel caused by the monster. He just stared at the rocks, he could burn holes through the giant mess of rubble like Superman by the way he kept his eyes locked and steady in the same spot. If he had such a power, we would have gotten through the tunnel, find the girl and end this psychopaths slaughter. The entire situation makes feel like I could shoot hot lasers out of my own eyes with how much rage and fire is behind them and inside of me. For the next ten minutes, my deputies, the miner and I stood in the darkness with only our flashlights shining any kind of light in the empty void of the cave. Joe would occasionally nudge at a rock to see what would happen or would try to find a hole or opening to peek through. After a while, he finally gave us his observation.

"It's just As I have feared Sheriff. There's no way in Hell you're getting through this cave in."

His words shot me through the heart and crushes my spirit. He continued to speak.

"With this much rock and rubble blocking the passage and without the proper tool or manpower to move them, it'll take two or three weeks to clear it all."

That was the final blow for me. After hearing Joe's assessment, I finally boiled over and exploded with rage.

"THREE WEEKS! WE DON'T HAVE THREE WEEKS! A KILLER IS ON THE LOOSE IN THIS CAVE AND HE'S SKINNING PEOPLE LIKE ANIMAL TROPHIES! THE WHOLE TOWN OF SAFE HAVEN IS ON RED ALERT BECAUSE OF THIS MONSTER! WE DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF TIME TO JUST DIG! WE NEED TO FIND THIS THING AND KILL IT NOW BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE BECOMES ITS NEXT VICTIM! AND ON TOP OF THAT, A YOUNG GIRL IS TRAPPED WITH IT OR WORSE! wE NEED TO GET IN NOW! YOU HEAR ME OLD MAN?"

My hands were balled up. I was ready to punch anything. I was fuming mad by the whole nightmare of a killer creature on the loose. I know I shouldn't take it out on Joe. I wasn't really yelling at him, I was yelling more at myself. I was yelling at myself for putting everybody; especially Miss Canmore, in grave danger. When I was done with my ranting, I took a deep breath and un-clenched my fists.

"Sorry Joe."

The old man was unfazed by my outburst and remained focused on the wall of rubble. He's such an old geezer. He had no hair left on his head and had liver spot adorning his arms and neck. He wore big, thick glasses because of his failing eyesight. I even wonder how he's going to find his own hand, let alone a way inside the tunnel with those old eye. When Joe spoke, his voice was so raspy and jagged from the years of breathing in dust and coal fumes while mining. After a few seconds of silence, the old man spoke again.

"Don't apologize to me, I understand Sheriff. We might not be able to get through this carnage, but there might be another way if we look for it."

He turned away from the rubble and walked past me and my deputies with surprising speed for a sixty-seven year old man. The deputies and I were stunned by the old man's sudden and speedy exit out of the caverns and just left us standing in the dark tunnel alone. We stood there for almost a minute. My youngest deputy, Tanner was the only one to speak up in the group.

"Sheriff, Sir, should we see what he's up to?"

Before I could even answer, Joe's shouts echoed and rumbled through the tunnel.

"Sheriff, you coming or what?"

With that, the deputies and I shuffled our way through the dark cave to follow the old man. Our small flashlights were our only guide through the blackness of the cave tunnel. When we all made it out of the pitch black surroundings of the caverns, we were nearly blinded by the sudden brightness of the outside world. Even with heavy dark clouds forming over head and blocking the sun, it was still bright after being in darkness for a long time. After a few adjustments to the light, I looked for Joe. It didn't take long to spot him. He was walking along the left side of the cave opening and kept moving further down until the rocky walls of the outer cave became so short, it seemed to dive back into the ground from which it came. Looking at the cave mouth, I wondered how anybody was able to spot the cave at all. With miles of grassy fields to the south and even more miles of woodlands to the north, the cave was hidden from the nearest persons view. The cave itself was the size of a one story building and looked like a miniature mountain. The outer cave walls only reached thirty feet across and curved like a horse shoe. The rest of the cave went beneath the ground and was covered and hidden by the woods on each side. Knowing this, finding a new way in or the exit to the cave seemed bleak to me. Joe, on the other hand, seemed undeterred by the lack of another way in. He looks as if he wasn't gonna quit looking for a new way to get inside the tunnels. His energy and excitement was endearing, but with his new age, I'm afraid of him breaking a hip or having a heart attack.

"Joe, slow down, I don't want you to hurt yourself."

I said as I trailed behind him with my deputies trailing behind me.

"Don't worry sheriff, this old body still has some juice left in it. We'll find what you're looking for soon enough."

The old man's so optimistic, he even managed to bring up my clouded mood a little. I wonder if this was enough to keep him going though. After we walked around the cave opening which was the only visible proof the cave existed and went to the part where the walls dove into the earth. To me, there was nothing to even give us a clue to where the underground tunnels of the cave weaved through below our feet. Joe, on the other hand, seemed pulled by some invisible force by how he zigzagged through the trees and brush of the forest. We only walked for a few moments before Joe stopped in his tracts. He seemed to be seeming at some embedded rocks sticking out of the ground. For a few moments, Joe stood quietly frozen in thought looking at the large stony wall like rocks while my men and I just stood behind him confused and quiet to not break his concentration. It wasn't until Deputy Tanner spoke up that the irritating silence was finally broken. Tanner walked up and stood right next to Joe and began to talk.

"Excuse me, Mister . . . uh . . . Joe, I'm just wondering what are you looking for exactly?

It's just that I don't know what we're looking for at all but you do. Can you please tell us what to look for, Sir?"

The way he talks, you would think he was a kid talking to a teacher in sixth grade asking to go to the bathroom. He's so quiet and mousy. Out of all the deputies I've had in all my years as a sheriff, young Jack Tanner was the most nervous, the quietest and the most polite man around. He's also the best deputy around. He'll have to toughen up if he hopes to become a sheriff one day let alone stop this monster. Joe turned around to look at Tanner. He looked almost confused at Tanner for a moment. The curse of old age I guess.. When he realized what he was doing, Joe cleared his throat and began to talk as clearly as his raspy voice could allow.

"Sorry about that, Guess I got too excited there. Almost forgot about you young folk."

He paused to clear his throat again. then he turned around to the stones again.

"You see this bedrock? This is limestone. A lot of caves in Missouri are made of it, including the one we were in earlier. We're looking for outcroppings of these same exact rocks. We find those, we find another opening."

Another of my deputies, thirty one year old Vince Ripley, stepped forward and chimed into the discussion.

"What are outcroppings?'

Joe turned back around to look at Ripley.

"Outcroppings are exposed bedrock caused by erosion or man made excavation. Limestone outcroppings tend to look like a crudely stacked rock wall like the one behind us."

Joe pointed back to the rocks with his right hand.

"If we find more of these limestone outcroppings, a suspicious clump of trees and bushes in one spot or even a sink hole, we can find a new way in."

Now that my men and I have ideas of what we're looking for, my determination to stop this monster and my good spirits began to return to me in a flash. I turned back to my men with renewed hope.

"Okay men, listen carefully. To find the way in faster, we need to split up in two groups. Now that we know what we're looking for, we can search and cover more ground. We need to be on full alert as well if that . . . that thing got out or if the girl got out. If you find anything, call on the radio immediately. Is that clear?"

All my deputies stood as tall as they could and shouted in uni some.

"YES SIR!"

I turned back to Joe.

"Joe, you, deputy Snow and I will head northwest from this spot."

I turned my head to Tanner.

"Tanner, I want you, Ripley and Sanders to head north from this spot. Cover as much ground as you can. Get it?"

He nodded his head with the speed of a hummingbird yes. His eyes almost popped out of his head. The kid is so scared; we're all scared. He needs calm down and to get his fear under control though. We can't let this scare us away from protecting Safe Haven and Miss Canmore. To calm him down, I decided to gently grab his right shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. He reminds me so much of my late son. I then proceeded to calm him verbally.

"You can do this Jack, I know you can do this. I know you all can do this."

I let go of his shoulder and headed northwest along with Joe and my remaining deputy; Owen Snow. We walked and searched for a very long time. My eyes and feet were sore from the search. When I checked my watch for the time, it was close to 4:15, p.m. With how the weather has been bitter cold and with a snow storm coming in at any moment along with sundown, there wasn't any time to waste. For over an hour, we've been searching for Joe's clues but all we've found were trees, trees and even more trees that looked the same. There was no sign of bedrock let alone a cave opening. On top of this, nobody has reported anything on the radio. With every bodies energy draining, I decided to regroup and figure out another plan. Before I could call up Tanner, Joe began to shout with joy.

"SHERIFF! I FOUND IT!'

With my radio still in hand, I rushed over to see what he found. When I saw it, my own rush of joy overtook my senses. I felt like leaping into the air at the sight of the rock wall with a narrow tunnel almost hidden away by bushes and hanging vines. It's a flat out miracle that anybody; let alone a sixty-seven year old man with fading eyesight, to find such an obscured entrance in an uncharted aria. It was limestone too, it lead into the caverns for sure.

"Yes, alright Joe. You did it!"

I shouted while shaking my fists into the air in victory.

"Now we're getting somewhere."

I then remembered the police radio in my right hand and decided to call Tanner's group and call them back.

"Tanner, this is Winston. Do you read me? Over."

After a second, Jack responded.

"Yes, sir. This is Tanner. I read you. We still haven't found anything, sir. Over."

I had a hard time containing my happiness over finding the tunnel while maintaining a professional law enforcer with this kid.

"That's alright Tanner. We found a tunnel. I need your group to come back. Where is your position? Over."

There was a few seconds of silence on the radio from Jack. Then he answered again.

"Uh . . . about three miles from where we started. Over."

I sighed with relief of how close he was.

"Alright then, we're just fifteen minutes away from your position. Just head west straight from where you are and you'll find us. Hurry. Over."

Another moment of silence, then Jack responded.

"Over and out." By the time Jacks group reached us, it was 4;20, p.m. one hour from sundown.

"We need to hurry before dark."

I begin to shuffle through the brush and pull at the vines to go into the tunnel. Then Joe's raspy coughs caught my attention. He looked at me with his sad old eyes.

"I'm sorry sheriff, I'm just too old to go spelunking into narrow dark caves. I can't go with you." Joe started to cough harder. The cold must be getting to him finally. He must be exhausted after walking through the woods for over an hour and needed to warm up. On top of that, I can't risk another innocent person's life for no reason like I did with the girl. I won't forgive myself for that. I nodded my head in understanding.

"Tanner. Take Joe home now. When he's safe inside his house. Come back to this spot immediately. I'll give you more directions afterwords. Keep him safe, son."

He pulled out his Glock 19 pistol.

"Yes sir."

I pulled out my Smith & Wesson M&P 9 pistol.

"The rest of you are with me, we're going in."

All three deputies pulled out their Glock 19 pistols and followed behind me, further into the nightmare I helped spawn.


	22. Chapter Twenty One: Oath

Chapter Twenty One: Oath

 _4:57, p.m. November 13._

I feel lost, I know where I am and I know where I'm going in the darkness with my small flashlight, and yet I feel so lost. I'm lost in my labyrinth of a head trying to keep my sanity from running away with me. I'm lost in the chaotic and clashing emotions inside my heart constantly at war with me and with each other. Everything inside of me is screaming at me in words I can't make out. My thoughts and feelings are speaking too loud for me to hear or understand and they're trying to cancel each other out just to be heard. I can't take it anymore. Everything around me and inside of me is a mess and I don't know what to do about it. I've never felt so at war with myself like I do right now. I'm so close to the end of this terrifying journey through the caverns. I can just smell the fresh air of the outside world as I move closer and faster to it. I'm so close to getting out of the darkness and the coldness of this place, yet I feel like I'm walking to my doom or something very horrible at the end. Damn, I sound stupid for thinking like that; for feeling like that. I should be thinking of the alien behind me as my doom rather than getting out of here. I should hate him for the people he killed, hate his hand clutching my left shoulder for guidance, hate his very presence being near me at all. But any shred of hatred I had for him have evaporated from me completely after I got to know Macho. I can't make myself hate him anymore. He's a warrior with honor. He's brave, loyal and even kind. He's thoughtful and willing to trust somebody like me whose not his kind; it takes a lot for some people to trust their own kind. He didn't kill that lady cop because she was pregnant, that alone makes him a decent person. The only people I know he killed we're evil rapists and criminals who deserved worse. The more I think about it, he's more like a hero in that aspect of things. He saved my life many times before and treats me as a fellow hunter as well as a trusted friend. With each minute that goes by and the longer I'm with him, I sink lower into my thoughts of him. I'm at the point where I can't focus long enough on anything else but him. His warm hand that causes my body to go rigid with pleasant shivers, his strange and yet alluring voice that sounds like a mixture of a powerful beasts growl and the rumbling thunder clash after the storm passes, his very essence of great strength and tender kindness have taken over my senses. No man of any kind has ever done such a almost impossible thing before. I used to scoff at the idea in the past that any guy could make me lose my senses so easily. I've only known him for a couple of days and yet I feel like I've known him for a lifetime. I never thought I'd care so for anybody like I do for my alien . . . My alien? When did that happen? Now I'm calling him my alien without even trying. He's taken over everything inside of me; even my heart, and I can't put up a fight even if I wanted to. It doesn't matter though. It doesn't matter what I feel for him. It's not like he feels the same for me. Even if he did, there's no way we could make it work. He can't stay with me on Earth or he'll suffocate on my air and eventually die. Even if that wasn't the case, he couldn't fit in with human life. He's too alien in appearance and looks so terrifying at first glance. Nobody would understand his warrior spirit or his aggressive nature except me. They would hate him for that. People would either try to kill him or experiment on him like a lab rat. I don't want that for Macho at all. There's no way he can or should stay on my planet. He doesn't belong in my world, and I don't belong in his. I don't even feel I belong in my own planet. I'm an outcast to my own kind as it is. If I went with him to his planet, not only would I suffocate on his air, the Yautja might treat me like a filthy pariah; some God forsaken creature not worthy to even speak to or touch. I'd bet a million dollars on it. From what I've been through the last four days and from what Macho has told me about the Yautja, humans are just dumb prey animals and aren't true equals to his kind. His kind is gigantic and their technology is beyond what my kind can manage. I feel so stupid and weak compared to this dominating race of aliens. The way I see it, I would be ridiculed more than ever and without mercy, Macho would be ridiculed as well as humiliated for bringing me with him. I don't want that for him either. It would just be better for the both of us if we go our separate ways and never see each other again. It hurts so much to think this, but it's true. We don't belong together and we never will. But like I said before, it doesn't matter. He'll never take me with him anyway, why beat myself up about it? I don't feel like myself right now, I'm feeling kind of weak; like I'm about to pass out or throw up. I think I'm getting sick now. I've been in the freezing cold for too long and I've been under more stress than I'm used to. It might also because of the cut on my side. The last time I really looked at it, it was inflamed and oozing. I need to change the bandages soon, but I don't have anymore. I'll just have to keep trying to focus on the task at hand. Get out of these caverns, change my old bandages and go back to my life like this was all a messed up dream. But how?

"Artemis."

His voice surprised me when he said my name and it echoed through the tunnel. It didn't scare me though. He can't scare me anymore. I got over being scared when he gave me the spear I'm holding in my left hand. The way he says my name makes my cheeks burn, it also made me pull out of myself for a bit.

"What?"

I turned my head around to look at him and almost tripped over my own feet., not watching where I was going like a dumb bimbo.

"Big moron, don't make an idiot of yourself anymore."

"Do you ever have anything nice to say, ever?"

I'm yelling at myself in my head again. I really need to stop doing this. I have somebody else to talk with. I don't need to talk to myself anymore.

"Yeah, but how long will he be here until you have nobody but yourself to talk to again?"

I hate it when I made sense. I didn't want to think about it though. I looked back to the tunnel and tried to keep my eyes straight, like I should've been doing. Macho continue talking.

"I must ask a great favor of you."

My hearts pounding so hard, I can feel it in my eardrums.

"What?"

"That's all you can say? God, you sound like a dumb parrot repeating one word over and over. Knock it off."

I wish I couldn't hear myself anymore, I can be a real bitch.

"Do you recall the terms of our oath Artemis?"

Oh my God. I almost forgot about it. If I get him out of here safely, he'll let me live and he'll have to leave and never come back. I made that oath with him when he was trying to kill me and I hated him. Now, it's no longer the case.

"Yeah, what about it?"

I tried my hardest to stay calm when I said that. I don't even know why I'm so nervous. No, not nervous, excited. . He paused for a minute. What's he trying to say?

"I must ask another oath from you."

My throat has a huge lump now, it's hard to swallow and breathe.

"Stop it Artemis! You're acting like a . . . a girl!"

So this is how it feels. I'm not used to this girly feeling, I've always been boyish in the way I think and feel. This new feeling is uneasy and confusing. So why do I want this feeling to stay? I tried to muster as much power as I could so I could tell him he could ask anything of me and I'll gladly do it, but all I could say was one lousy word.

"What?"

Stupid! parrot"

"You must never speak of what took place in these caverns."

My heart almost shattered into micro shards when he said that. Why would he ask something like that from me? was he ashamed of what happened? Is he ashamed of me?

"Why?"

I tried my best not to scream at him about why he would want me to cover up something that meant everything to me. He continued.

"Your kind must not know about the Yautja. We wish to keep your Earth a pure hunting ground. I must not leave no evidence of my hunt behind or I will be severely punished by my clan. Will you give your oath to me to never reveal our friendship or my secrets to any other oomans, please?"

Now I get it. He's begging me to keep this a secret because I'm his friend and to keep him out of trouble. I calmed down, but only the tiniest bit. It still meant he'll still be leaving and I'll never see him again. At least we can part knowing we'll still be friends and that he has no reason to doubt me.I'll make sure he knows that. I stopped dead in my tracks so that I could turn around and look at him. Even though he couldn't see me, I wanted to say it to his face. I put the flashlight in my right hand holding both that and my spear so that I could place my hand over his strong one still holding my shoulder.

"Macho. You're my friend and always will be. After everything we've been through, I don't have the heart to sell you out like that. If I did, then I don't deserve this spear or deserve your friendship. You don't have to worry about me blabbing my mouth because I'll keep it shut for you. You can trust me with anything."

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I couldn't hold it back but I kept my composer so I could finish what I needed to say to him.

"You have my oath, Macho. I'll never tell anybody about you or your kind. But can you make an oath to me?"

He tilted his head slightly.

"What do you wish of me, Artemis?"

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I hope he won't be upset.

"When we leave this place and we go our separate ways, I want you to swear to not kill anybody. All I want you to do is go back to your ship and go back to your planet without anymore deaths. I can't take anymore death. Will you give that oath to me?"

I felt another tear roll down my cheek. He was quiet but he didn't seem upset at all, he was actually calm. He began to unplug his tubes and with his free hand removed his mask. Before, his face used to terrify me. It's still strange to look at but I'm getting used to it. If there's anything I would call beautiful in his face, it would be his crimson eyes. They're so thoughtful and steady. I could see them even in the dim light. He said he could only see red without the mask which makes it hard to make out anything, but I could feel his warm gaze on me and I felt the warmth. He dropped his mask on the ground and without warning, he placed his free hand on my cheek. He softly rubbed away my tears from face.

"You have my oath, Artemis."

This warmed my heart so much, I couldn't feel the cold anymore or the pain. He was about to say something else, but he was cut off by the far off echo of a gunshot behind us.

GUNSHOT?

BEHIND US?

HOW?

OH GOD, NO, NO, NO . . .


End file.
